The Death Of Ivan Ilych Analysis

The stories of Rama, and the short stories by Leo Tolstoy offer moral teachings to their audience, but from two different points of moral models. Ramayana portrays the romanized parts of mankind , while the writings of Leo Tolstoy emphasizes the harshness of life. Each difference is depicted in the characters Sita (from Ramayana), showing devotion and patience, and Ivan Ilych (from “The Death of Ivan Ilych), that shows pessimism and following the standards of society, each character representing two different parts of life.
The goddess Sita represents the good in mankind, showing devotion and patience. Sita shows exceptional loyalty to her husband Rama, following him into exile. When Rama starts to leave the palace, Sita stops him and says, “I’m coming with you; my place is at your side, wherever that may be” showing her utmost devotion to Rama, and her willingness to sacrifice her lifestyle to be with him(Narayan, p.72). Similarly, when she is kidnapped by Ravana, she portrays her virtue of pureness. She keeps to herself all the while waiting for Rama to rescue her. When he does, and doubts her pureness, she exclaims, “Light a fire at once, on this very spot...O Agni,
Ivan Ilych’s character mainly revolves around seeing the world as callous and uncaring. Towards the end of Ivan’s life, he laments, “Death. Yes, death. And none of them know or wish to know it, and they have no pity for me” to show his inner thoughts and assumption that no one in his family or friends care for him (Tolstoy, p.130). Likewise, the whole past of Ivan Ilych depends on his conformity to expectations. When he gets married, he thinks,”...at the same time i was considered the right thing by the most highly laced of his associates” demonstrating that he is motivated mostly by the approval of his associates.In brief, Ivan lives a bitter life, pessimistic and