The theme of death plays a large role in The Death of Ivan Ilyich. This short story teaches a lesson about how death affects the personality of those that cross its path.
             Ivan Ilyich, a member of the Court of Justice, faces death at young age of forty-five. When Ivan was informed that he was dying, it completely changed his views on life. Before his death sentence, Ivan was completely involved in his work, and did not make time for anything else, such as having any relationship with his family. As it says, "Ivan...[spent] less and less time with his family, and when obliged to be at home he tried to safeguard his position by the presence of outsiders..... The whole interest of his life now centered in the official world and that interest absorbed him" (Tolstoy 1194). It was not until the day that he injured himself, that his life started to take a different turn. When he finally went to see a doctor and was told that he was dying, he realized what his life was really about, and who his friends and colleagues really were. When Ivan's so-called friends were told about his death they all had the same reaction: They focused only on how they could benefit from this sad news, and did not think once to pity Ivan. Each, in his own way, was thinking that he could now have Ivans' position in the court. Besides these considerations, the fact that one of their colleagues had died brought up the thought, "it is he who is dead and not I" (Tolstoy 1185). One of the few colleagues mentioned that went to Ivan's funeral was Peter Ivonovich. When Peter views Ivan's face, he sees a look of accomplishment. This look makes Peter feel very uneasy. This uneasiness can be associated with a warning of some sort that Peter does not understand. It is not until the end that the reader is able to understand the meaning of this look of accomplishment that is seen on Ivans' face at his funeral. Ivan did some form of r...