Dignity of Death and Dignity of Life

Author: Fu Weixun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The Enlightenment Significance of Tolstoy's Novel Masterpiece "The Death of Ivan Ilyich"
Any reader who has read Tolstoy's diaries and biographies (countless in number) knows that almost no writer in Western literary history fears death as much as he does, nor has any writer imagined death (in its state) or gazed upon death (in its truth) from childhood, nor has any writer tried as hard to overcome it. The immortal work "The Death of Ivan Ilyich," a "literature of death" completed in 1884, is a striking example. The inspiration for this work came from a true story about a judge on his deathbed in 1881, summarizing and evaluating his life. Tolstoy learned of this through his wife, which greatly inspired his interest and creativity in writing. We can say that although "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" is based on the life-and-death struggle of that Russian judge, it actually reflects Tolstoy's personal experiences with life and death, fully demonstrating his later stance of "art for life's sake" as vigorously advocated in his work "What Is Art?"
In summary, this novella is Tolstoy's first major work published after his lifelong religious and moral conversion, achieved by transcending the great divide between life and death. From then on, all his works (including his third novel "Resurrection" and "What Is Art?") completely shed their purely artistic colors, serving only the Christian doctrine of universal love and the socialist morality.
Soon after the first edition of "The Death of Ivan Ilyich," the renowned writer Stasov wrote to Tolstoy, saying he had never read such a brilliant masterpiece: "No such great creation has ever been produced in the world. Compared to your work of about 70 pages, all other works seem insignificant." The composer Tchaikovsky also wrote in his diary: "I have just finished reading 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich,' and I am even more convinced that Tolstoy is the greatest writer on earth." This shows the high literary achievement of "The Death of Ivan Ilyich," especially in the field of "literature of death," it is undoubtedly the highest achievement.
In 1880, Professor Robert Weir compiled "Death in Literature," and in the conclusion, he specifically included this work, showing its modern significance and literary value. Its modern significance lies in the fact that it is an indispensable reading material for the study of "deathology," terminal psychology, and "death education." If we read "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" carefully, we will find that Tolstoy's psychological portrayal is extremely vivid—such as Ivan's distrust of the doctor, his "complaint" to God, his jealousy and resentment toward his wife and daughter's absence, his feeling of despair and isolation, and his "acceptance" of death at the end of his life. These have anticipated the psychological reactions and stages observed by Dr. Kübler-Ross, truly.
"The Death of Ivan Ilyich" also anticipates, in terms of literary creation and philosophical thought, the main trends of the burgeoning European existentialism (or existentialism) in the 20th century, following the two World Wars. It also shines in comparison with the works of later masters like Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov," forming a pioneering of existentialist literature. It can be said that it has made great contributions to the cultivation and development of the entire modern existentialist literary movement.
Furthermore, we know that concepts such as "existence" (encompassing both "real existence" and "authentic existence"), "existential choice," "the border situation" (in life-and-death moments), "existential authenticity," "existential inauthenticity," and "the courage to be" are existentialist clichés that gradually formed through the philosophical explorations of Heidegger, Jaspers, Sartre, and Tillich in the 1920s. These concepts are now common knowledge or catchphrases in modern Western thought. However, over a century ago, Tolstoy, using the novel genre of "The Death of Ivan Ilyich," meticulously explored the existential consciousness that emerges when a person faces death (the border situation), whether it is authentic or inauthentic. This is truly awe-inspiring, not only because of his unique life-and-death experiences, his sharp psychological portrayals and existential analysis, but also because of his foresight of the existentialist trends of the 20th century. For example, the analysis of human existence concerning life and death in Heidegger's groundbreaking philosophical work "Being and Time" can be found in the clues or examples of existential literature in "The Death of Ivan Ilyich," which was published half a century earlier. In fact, Heidegger mentions the importance of this work in a footnote in his book, showing its significant influence on Heidegger's discussions of death.
On the surface, the plot and structure of "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" are simple, and the story unfolds mostly in a straightforward manner, without complex twists. Therefore, readers lacking the ability to "read creatively" may easily mistake this work as dull and ordinary, completely overlooking its profound meaning. In reality, Tolstoy skillfully uses his lifelong expertise in plain description and realistic writing to portray interpersonal relationships and human figures, as well as to reveal the psychological reactions of the main characters, Ivan's final struggle at the brink of death, and his ultimate concern for life-and-death issues. Even after more than a century, reading it carefully today still holds a modern significance that is both admirable and thought-provoking.