ferred the center of his life more and more to his official duties" (Tolstoy 526). A rising problem in America is the idea of work first then family second. This idea destroys the family and causes the family to hate you and your work. In the story Praskovya and Ivan's daughter hated Ivan because he was never around, but even when he was home he focused on his official duties and not on his family. The main problem with Ivan Ilych's view of his family life was that it was a self-centered view. Ivan decided to marry Praskovya because "she fell in love with him. Ivan Ilych had at first no intention of marrying, but the girl fell in love with him [;] he said to himself: 'Really why shouldn't I marry?' " (Tolstoy 525). No family can survive if a person just uses the family to gain money, power, or social status without ever giving the family something back. Ivan Ilych only used his family, and this caused all sorts of problems. Robert Wexelblatt stated, "one should be at least an even better family man ..., one who marries for love" ("Symbolism" 224). A person cannot assume that his family is only for show and be successful. To be successful in life one has to love and care for his family, putting the family as a top priority in his life and not just a status symbol.
             Ivan also failed at becoming successful in his official duties. One problem many people battle with throughout their careers is committing acts that go against their moral code so that they can become more successful. When Ivan Ilych was growing up and starting his career "he had done things which had formerly seemed to him very horrid and made him feel disgusted with himself when he did them; but when later on he saw that such actions were done by people of good position and they did not regard them a
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