Tolstoy and Gordon

The Death of Ivan Ilych & Final Payments

In both Tolstoy's short story, The Death of Ivan Ilych, and Gordon's novel, Final Payments, we experience the death of two fathers. In The Death of Ivan Ilych, the story is told from the point-of-view of the dying father himself, Ivan Ilych. In Final Payments, the story in narrated from the perspective of the daughter of the dying father, Isabel Moore. In both pieces of fiction, the main characters allow for the reader a glimpse into the feelings of the authors when it comes to happiness and the achievement of it.

In The Death of Ivan Ilych, we open with the news of the death of Ivan Ilych, an announcement which prompts Ivan's friends and business associates to have their own career advancement at the forefront of their thoughts "So on receiving the news of Ivan Ilych's death the first thought each of the gentleman in that private room was of the changes and promotion it might occasion among themselves or their acquaintances" (Tolstoy 96). Ivan has lived a life in complete accordance with social values and norms. He is married, has children, retains a decent paying official position, and his home d�cor is designed to demonstrate that he and his family are of a certain success level and social standing. However, Ivan's life is one of routine and surface appearances, a life that he reconsiders while lying in bed as his death approaches. Ivan got off the road from happiness by doing all the things

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ccepting the suffering and pain of life does one find true joy and happiness " �And the pain,' he asked himself. �What has become of it? Where are you, pain?'�'Yes, here it is. Well, what of it? Let the pain be.' �And death�where is it?' He sought his former accustomed fear of death and did not find it. �Where is it? What death?' There was no fear because there was no death. In the place of death there was light. �So that's what it is!' he suddenly exclaimed aloud. �What joy!'" (Tolstoy 156). In Final Payments, perverted Christian ideology takes Isabel Moore away from happiness because she denies her own happiness, sex, and joys in order to take care of others as a good Christian should. Isabel has been raised a conservative Catholic by her father Joseph Moore. Like The Death of Ivan Ilych, this story opens with a funeral. Isabel is thirty and has lived at home for the past eleven years nursing her father who suffers a series of strokes. Isabel is proud of her sacrifice and devotion for her father, but after his death she begins to question the nature of devotion and sacrifice and how they apply to her own choices and happiness. The Catholic Church's attitudes toward women and sex in general alienate Isabel. She

Category: Literature - T