Lesson One: Biography Lesson Two: Culture and History Lesson Three: Narrative and Point of View Lesson Four: Characters Lesson Lesson
Five: Stvle
4
5
6
7
8
and Genre
Ficnirative
Six:
Svmbolism and
Language
1
^
Lesson Seven: Character Development
Lesson Eight:
The
Plot Unfolds
1
Lesson Nine:
Lesson Ten:
Essay Topics
Themes of the
Novella
1
1
What Makes
a Great
Rook?
13
1
Capstone
I
Projects
15
landout
One
Russian
Names
1
l(->
HandoutTwo: The Code of 864
Handout Three: The Rebirth
Teaching Resources
of
17
Ilvich
Kan
IS
l)
l
NCI
1
Standards
((
The
awful, terrible act of his dying
was, he could see, reduced by those around him to the level of a casual, unpleasant, almost indecorous incident... and this was done by that very decorum which he had served
his
whole
life
long."
—from The Death of
Ivan Ilyich
Introduction
Welcome
to the Big Read, a major
initiative
from the National Endowment
in
for the Arts. Designed to revitalize the role of literary reading
culture, the Big
American
literature,
Read hopes to unite communities through great
as well as inspire students to
become
life-long readers.
This Big Read Teacher's Guide contains ten lessons to lead you through
Leo
Tolstoy's classic novella, The Death of Ivan
llyich.
Each lesson has four
sections: a focus topic, discussion activities, writing exercises, and
homework
assignments.
In
addition,
we
have provided capstone projects
and suggested essay topics,
as well as
handouts with more background
All
information about the novella, the historical period, and the author.
lessons dovetail with the state language arts standards required
fiction genre.
in
the
The
Big
Read teaching materials
also include a
CD. Packed with
interviews,
commentaries, and excerpts from the book, the Big Read
first-hand accounts of
CD
presents
why Tolstoy's
novella remains so compelling
more
than a century after
its initial
publication.
Some
of America's
most
celebrated writers, scholars, and actors have volunteered their time to
make these
Big
Read
CDs
exciting additions to the classroom.
Finally,
the Big Read Reader's Guide deepens your exploration with
interviews, booklists, timelines, and historical information.
We
hope
this
guide and syllabus allow you to have fun with your students while
introducing
them
to the
work
of a great Russian author.
From
the
NEA. we wish you an
exciting and productive school year
"^j&AAu
H^
Dana Gioia
Chairman. National Endowment for the Arts
National
I
ndowmcnt
tor tin
THE BIG READ
I
Ef!u?5BHt¥r5RHiTTi
edule
1
Day One
FOCUS:
Biography
to the Big Read
3
Day Three
FOCUS:
CD. Read
Narrative and Point of
View
Activities: Listen
Activities:
Explore
possibilities of alternative
Reader's Guide essays. Discuss Tolstoy's
method of
encounter
narration. Rewrite a brief
in
preoccupation with death. Write about
personal reaction to a death.
Chapter
I
from another
character's point of view.
Homework: Handouts One and Two.
Chapters
1-2 (pp. 31-52).*
Homework: Chapters
5-7 (pp. 73-88).
2
Day Two
FOCUS: Culture and
Activities:
4
Day Four
FOCUS: Characters
History
Activities:
Discuss the issue of conformity
foil
Discuss the relevance of Tolstoy's
in
the novella. Write about a
to the
social criticism of
the bourgeois. Practice
main character.
patronymics. Write about
how
llyich's
willingness to ruin the lives of others might
satirize
Homework: Chapters
8-12 (pp. 89-1
13).
the bourgeois
class.
Homework Chapters
3-4 (pp. 53-72).
5
Day
Five
FOCUS: Style and Genre
Activities:
Discuss the respective merits of
fantasy and realism.
Write about whether
Gerasim
is
a realistically portrayed character.
Homework: Examine use
symbols
in
of metaphors and
the novella's conclusion.
* Page
77ie
numbers
refer to the
llyich, in
Bantam
Classics
1
98
1
edition of
Death of Ivan
the Lynn Solotaroff translation.
2
*
THE
BIG
READ
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Endowment
for the Arts
6
Day
Six
Figurative Language
in
9
Day Nine
FOCUS: Themes
Activities:
FOCUS: Symbolism and
Activities:
of the Novella
Analyze symbols
the
in
final
chapter.
Explore Tolstoy's treatment of the
duty, morality,
Write about use of metaphors
the novella.
themes of
life.
and the purpose of
Homework: Apply
Ivan llyich.
the KLibler-Ross model to
Homework: Prepare
essays.
outlines and begin
7
Day Seven
FOCUS: Character Development
Activities:
10
Day Ten
FOCUS.What Makes
Activities: Evaluate the
a
llyich as
can inform and expand the readers understanding of a
One
life
practice
of examining a
literary
work, biographical
criticism,
looks through the lens of an author's experience. In this lesson, explore the
author's
to
more
fully
understand the novella.
aristocratic family.
Leo Tolstoy was born into an
He
lived like
many
other
young men of his
class,
enjoying the privileges of wealth and rank while
indulging in the pleasures of youth. Yet, unlike
FOCUS: Biography
many
others of his
class,
Tolstoy had a reformer's
spirit
and
a puritan conscience. In the years before
he wrote The Death of Ivan Ilyich, his inner tensions led him to a spiritual crisis and belief in a radical form of Christianity. Although Tolstoy does not
put forward his religious
vanity, worldliness,
beliefs in the novella,
he does
assert his rejection
of
and materialism. In addition, the frequent
strains in
Tolstoy's
own
marriage are echoed in the relationship between Ivan Ilyich
and Praskovya Fyodorovna.
Discussion Activities
Listen to the Big
Read CD. Copy and
your
class into
distribute Reader's
Guide handouts
"Introduction to the Novella," "Leo Tolstoy
Christianity." Divide
(1828— 1910)," and "Tolstoy and
groups and assign an essay to each. Have the
groups present what they learned about their topic from the essay and the CD.
Ask your students why they would he choose to write a
essay?
think Tolstoy
was so concerned with
death.
Why
novella exploring the death process rather than an
Read the
these
first
two and
half
pages
in class,
ending with "paying the
widow
a
condolence
first
call" in
the middle of page 33.
What do we
learn
about
Ivan Ilyich in
few pages? What statement does Tolstoy make about human nature by
alive!'?
having the friends react with: 'Well he's dead but I'm
Writing Exercise
Have your students write about an experience of the death.
feelings
How closely
did their
and responses match those of Tolstoy's characters?
[7]
Homework
Distribute
Handouts
One
and Two. Read Chapters
1-2 (pp. 31-52).
Prepare your
students to read approximately 20 pages per night
4
*
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Cultural and historical contexts give birth to the dilemmas and themes at
the heart of a
work of fiction. Studying
these contexts
assist
and appreciating the
intricate details
of the time and place can
us in
comprehending the
motivations of the characters. In this lesson, use cultural and historical
contexts to begin to explore the novella. Ivan Ilyich dies in February 1882 at the age of 45.
He would
therefore
haw
come of age
in the late 1850s, at the
beginning of the reign of Czar
several
FOCUS: Culture and
History
Alexander
II. It
was
a period that
at
all,
saw
major
social reforms, yet life
changed very
little, if
for the vast majority for centuries.
of Russian subjects, and
things remained the
In 1848, Karl
way they had
Marx and
Frederick Engels'
Communist Manifesto
class
defined
of the
and
criticized the "bourgeois" class.
This middle
was not part
trade.
ruling aristocracy, yet held
power over production and
The Manifesto
argues that the bourgeois gains unjust advantage of the poor or proletariat
through financial and material transactions. Recognizing the value of
individual liberty, Alexander
II
abolished serfdom
classes.
in
1861, providing more
wage-earning opportunities for the lower
life
Iolstoy uses Ivan DyidlS
civil rights, liberty,
life.
to explore cultural issues
it
such
as
economics,
and
what
means
to lead an honorable,
worthwhile
Discussion Activities
Use Handout One to
practice Russian patronymics using your students'
names
followed by the names of their fathers.
The
first
two chapters cover
his career.
Ivan llyich's first 17 years of marriage
and the
of 1864
advancement of
change the
life
Discuss Handout Two.
How
it
might the
Code
of a
man
like Ivan Ilyich?
How
would
have affected the lower
classes? Identify five "bourgeois" characteristics
in llyich's life.
By portraying
Ilyich as
bourgeois,
discuss
is
Tolstoy making a statement about this
in
lifestyle'
Have the students
whether Tolstoy's descriptions
of their family and friends.
life?
If
Chapter 2
relate to their
own
lives
and
the
lives
so,
do they
find
any
validity in Tolstoy's
criticism of middle class
^ Writing Exercise
At the end of Chapter
and the importance of
anybody." Write
class.
2. Ilyich reflects
on
a cultivated aloofness, avoiding his family
is
his "official duties." Ilyich
this
proud to be able to "ruin
a satire
two pages on how
might present
of the bourgeois
Choose examples from
the text to support your argument
23
Homework
Read Chapters 3-4
(pp.
53-72) What does Ivan
Ilyich dislike
about the doctors'
treatment of him ; Does
this feeling lead him. at this point,
to any deeper insight'
National
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tor the
THE BIG READ
5
The
narrator
tells
the story with a specific perspective informed by his or
her beliefs and experiences.
The
narrator can be a major or
minor character
within the novella.
ignorance and
The
narrator weaves her or his point of view, including
A first-person narrator participates in the events of the novella using "I." A distanced narrator
bias, into
the telling of the
tale.
(often not a character) does not participate in the events of the story
and
uses third person (he, she, they) to narrate the story.
The
distanced narrator
FOCUS:
Narrative and Point of
can be omniscient, able to read the minds of all characters within the
novella. Ultimately, the type
of narrator determines the point of view from
which the story
is
told.
View
The Death ofIvan Ilyich is told from a third-person omniscient point of view. As early as the second page, Tolstoy presents the unspoken thoughts
of several different characters before focusing on the viewpoint of Pyotr
Ivanovich for the
himself, at
feelings
first
rest
of the chapter. Thereafter, the focus
is
on Ivan
Ilyich
from the
outside, then increasingly in terms of his
own
and
attitudes.
But throughout the book, the narrator shows us the
characters
so.
private thoughts
and emotions of other
wife
—when
—
especially Ivan Ilyich's
it
suits his larger
purposes to do
Discussion Activities
The
tact that Pyotr Ivanovich
is
the point-of-view character for so
much
in
of the
first
chapter might
make the reader assume
is
that he will be a major figure
the novella,
yet after that opening chapter he
given only a few passing mentions.
Ilyich's
Tolstoy give so
much
attention to his reactions to Ivan
death?
Why does How do his
in
private reactions to the situation help to
novella?
communicate Tolstoys
intentions
the
Writing Exercise
We see Pyotr Ivanovich take
view of
his
Ilyich's
leave of Praskovya
Fyodorovna
(pp.
39-4
1
),
and
briefly
encounter her children. Have students imagine
wife, daughter,
this
encounter from the point of
feelings as well as
or son. Include the character's inner
or her perception of Pyotr Ivanovich. To go deeper, write
this character's
Ilyich's
perspective about the dance (Chapter 3) and as he or she witnesses
deepening
illness
(Chapter
4).
C3
Homework
Read Chapters 5-7
interior
life
(pp. 73-88).
We are shown
more and more
of Ivan
Ilyich's
as his illness progresses.
Ask students to consider whether they
find
themselves growing
more sympathetic
to him as the novella proceeds, and to
consider the reasons for their responses.
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The main
character in a
work of literature
is
called the "protagonist."
protagonist often overcomes a weakness or ignorance to achieve a
The new
understanding by the works end.
A
protagonist
who
acts
with great courage
may be
virtue
is
called a "hero."
A
protagonist of dubious tenacity and questionable
an "antihero." Readers often debate the virtues and motivations of
the protagonists in the attempt to understand whether they are heroic.
The
protagonists journey
is
made more dramatic by
challenges presented by
FOCUS: Characters
characters with different beliefs.
A
"foil"
provokes the protagonist so as to
highlight
more
foil,
clearly certain features
of the main character. The most
important
the "antagonist," opposes the protagonist, barring or
complicating his or her success.
Most of the
characters in the novella are, like Ivan Ilyich himself educated
profess the
and sophisticated people who
obvious exceptions
same
false values
he does.
—and
The
the characters that most clearly represent the
works
positive values
of honesty; simplicity, and compassion
llyich's son,
—
are the
servant Gerasim
and Ivan
Vasily Ivanovich.
Tolstoys most pointed attacks on conformity take place in Chapters 2-3. In
his view,
conformity abdicates conscience, moral
responsibility,
and humane
sensitivity;
Perhaps the description of Ilvichs furnishings (pp. 56-58)
is
provides the most stinging critique. Ilyich
that
else.
so thoroughly
in
commonplace
like
when he
tries to
be original, he succeeds
becoming
everyone
Discussion Activities
llyich's foiled
.
bridge game, at the end of Chapter
.
4. results in a
sense that
his
life is
"poisoned. .and poisoning others.
terrified of death. In
on the brink of
falsity
disaster."
.
He
begins to be
Chapter
7.
"the
around him.
.did
more
than anything
to poison his days."
illness?
Ilyich
Is
What
is
the
falsity
that poisons Ilyich?
Is it
the source of his
the falseness related to conformity?
live
Or
is
it
the dawning knowledge that
can neither relinquish nor
with
his
conformist tendencies?
Q
Writing Exercise
As
Ivan llyich's illness
grows worse, he becomes more and more impatient with
people
who
continue to act as he did
when he was
well,
and
finds himself
lines,
drawn
as a
to completely different
modes
either
of feeling and behavior Along these
have
foil
students describe
to Ivan
Ilyich.
how
Gerasim or Praskovya Fyodorovna functions
n
Homework
Read Chapters 8-12 (pp 89-113). As Ivan Ilyich approaches death, consider whether he seems to react to his situation in the way that a real person would
National
I
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tor the
THE BIG READ
7
—
To
to
fully
understand and enjoy a work,
it is
sometimes helpful to know
its
historical
background and
it
cultural context, including the category or genre
rules or
which
belongs,
and the
it
conventions that apply to that
to dismiss
category. Obviously,
would be inappropriate
don't sing
Animal Farm on
is
the grounds that pigs can't talk, or to say that West Side Story
ridiculous
because teenage gang
members
and dance down the
street.
FOCUS: Style and
The Death of Ivan Ilyich belongs to the genre of Realism, which succeeded the Romantic movement that dominated the first part of the 1 9th century.
A heightened style, epic events, and larger-than-life protagonists, as in Goethe's Faust or Melville's Mo by-Dick, often characterized romantic
narratives. Fiction in the realistic
Genre
mode, by
contrast, tends to be written in a
straightforward
surface of daily
and often
life,
plain style, to give precise descriptions of the
and
to focus that
on ordinary
all face.
protagonists confronting the
controlling assumption of
groups with each group responsible for one chapter. Have them report examples
to
show where the
novella
embraces Realism or
strays
from Realism.
Works
of fantasy such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings have gained large
audiences. Have students discuss
popularity.
why such books and
films acquire
such
Can they think of films that embrace the Realism reflected in the novella? What do audiences gain from Realist artworks and what do they gain
from non-Realist artworks?
Writing Exercise
Examining Chapters 8-12, determine whether Gerasim
is
realistically
portrayed.
Explain and defend your conclusion with specific references to the text
EJ
Homework
Instruct students to pay particular attention to the use of
(relatively rare in
metaphors and symbols
experience of dying
the novella) to try to capture Ivan
llyich's
for example, the
(p.
1 1
"narrow black sack"
1
(p.
99), the "executioner"
is
and "black hole"
creating a sense of
1),
and the
"light" (p.
13).
How
effective
this
technique
in
that experience?
8
•
THE BIG READ
National
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for the Arts
Writers often use non-literal language to invite readers to visualize events,
view internal
conflicts,
glimpse
social
themes, or grasp abstract concepts
like
beauty, truth, or goodness.
to stretch
An
author uses figurative or non-literal language
our imaginations, challenging us to decode the references and
similes,
Lesson Six
meanings bound within images,
are interpretive keys to the text.
metaphors, and symbols. Symbols
FOCUS:
Symbolism
and
Figurative
Most frequently, a specific object will be used to reference (or symbolize) a more abstract concept. The repeated appearance of an object suggests a non-literal or figurative meaning above and beyond face value. By decoding symbols, attached to the object
—
any reader can
reveal a
new
interpretation of the novella.
Like his great admirer Ernest Hemingway, Tolstoy was renowned for his
clear
and
direct style,
which emphasizes straightforwardness over
of
figurative
description. Also,
theories
when he wrote The Death
is
hum
llyich, his artistic
Language
were developing toward simplicity of expression
in the service of
moralistic themes. Tolstoy
sparing in his use of symbolism, but there are
details that function symbolically in the larger context,
such
as the
medallion bearing the inscription respicefinem
(p.
(p.
45) or the game of whist
61).
Discussion Activities
Return to the symbols used
hole," "the light."
in
the
last
chapter
—
the "executioner," the "black
How
do these usages serve to
reinforce Tolstoy's spiritual
llyich?
message
in
the novella? Just
how
spiritual
is
The Deatli of Ivan
Writing Exercise
In his
manner
of handling his
official duties.
Ivan llyich
is
is
virtuoso (pp. 59-60), and the "celebrated physician"
addressing a prisoner (pp. 65-66).
the larger themes of the novella?
compared to a musical compared to a judge
illustrate
How
do these comparisons serve to
rj
Homework
Acquaint your students with Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's'Tive Stages of Grief"
Have them apply the Kubler-Ross model to
closely Tolstoy
Ivan llyich's experience
and |udge
how
conforms to
—
or.
more
properly, anticipates
—her
conclusions.
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9
Novels and novellas trace the development of characters that encounter a
series
of challenges. Most characters contain a complex balance of virtues
and
vices. Internal
and
external forces require characters to question
themselves, overcome fears, or reconsider dreams.
The
protagonist
undergoes profound change.
A close study of character development maps
Still,
the evolution of motivation, personality, and belief in each character.
the tension between a character s strengths and weaknesses keeps the reader
FOCUS: Character
guessing about what might happen next, affecting the
^liile
all
drama and the
plot.
the other characters in this novella are static
and two-dimensional,
Ivan Ilyich himself undergoes as profound a change, or series of changes, as
Development
can be imagined. Through most of the book, he
is
a thoroughly ordinarv
man.
cheat
his
He
on
has no
real virtues in
any
active sense; his positive qualities are
merelv the absence of negative ones: he does not take bribes; he does not
his wife or mistreat her
and
their children, etc. Self-centeredness
itself in pettiness
is
most prominent
irritability,
characteristic,
which often manifests
and
usually directed at his wife. Until very near the end, the
less to
changes he undergoes have
his character
do with an
alteration or
live as
enlargement of
to.
than with his increasing inability to
his
he wishes
When
It is
he
finally
acknowledges that
trivial
whole
life
has been wasted in the pursuit of
is
false
and
goals (pp. 108-09), his reaction
last
terror
and
despair.
it
not until the very
chapter that he achieves true grace, and with
understanding and peace of mind.
Discussion Activities
Returning to the terms employed
Ivan llyich's role as an "antihero"
in
Lesson Four, generate a
class discussion of
class
through most of the novella. Then have the
consider whether or not he has. by the end of the
"hero."
book
achieved the status of
Wa Writing Exercise
Define the term "epiphany" to your students and give examples from literature.
Have them write about
Ivan llyich's epiphany at the very
end of the
novella.
2J
Homework
Beginning with Chapter
2,
have the students page through the book once again
in
and
list
as
many
turning points
the plot as they can
find.
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The author
suspense,
artfully builds a plot structure to create expectations, increase
and inform character development. The timing of events horn
riveting.
beginning to middle to end can make a novella predictable or
plot, propelled
A
by a
crisis, will
reach a climax, and close with a resolution
Lesson Eight
(sometimes called denouement). Foreshadowing and flashbacks allow the
author to defy time while
telling the story.
A
successful author will keep a
tale,
reader entranced by clever pacing built within the
sometimes
FOCUS:
confounding a simple plot by
telling stories
within
stories.
The
Plot
Discussion Activities
Point out to the class that by taking the
first
Unfolds
chapter and putting
it
after the last
one, you can give the
book
a perfectly linear narrative that
proceeds from
is
beginning to middle to end. Have the students imagine that the novella
constructed
last chapter,
this way.
(You might want to read them the
first
last
few paragraphs of the
In
followed by the
and the
last
page of the opening chapter.)
published?
Is it
what
ways
is
this
version a different
book from the one Tolstoy
a better
book, or a worse one?
Writing Exercise
Remind your students of the
(at that
point theoretical) discussion of Lesson One:
its
How
death
can a
is
work generate
in
interest
title?
and suspense when
briefly
principal character's
this subject in
in
announced
the
Have them write
on
the
light
of their reading of the book:
How
successful has Tolstoy
been
overcoming the
handicaps he placed on himself?
ET]
Homework
As Tolstoy
himself
showed
in
What
Is
Art?,
even the most sublime work can be
it
made
to sound insipid or ridiculous by summarizing
in
a snide way. In the
same
fashion,
someone might
say about 77ie Deatii of Ivan //^ch."A boring bureaucrat
gets sick, feels sorry for himself, and dies.
So what
; '*
Students should be prepared
to explain
why
this
is
an inadequate characterization of Tolstoy's achievement
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|
Profound questions
to explore the
raised
by the story allow the character (and the
life
reader)
meaning of human
and
extract themes.
Themes
intellectual
investigate topics explored for centuries
scientists, historians,
by philosophers,
politicians,
and theologians.
Classic
themes include
freedom versus censorship, personal moral code
justice,
in relation to political
and
spiritual faith versus rational
commitments.
A novella can shed
and
light
on
these age-old debates,
by creating new
situations to challenge
FOCUS:
of the Novella
explore
human
nature.
Themes
Discussion Activities and Writing Exercise
Use the
support
following questions to stimulate discussion or provide writing exercises
in specific
in
order to interpret the novella
ideas,
ways. Using historical references to
llyich
explore the statements The Death of Ivan
makes about the
following themes:
Duty
Ivan llyich
duty,
is
described as a
his
man
duty
"strict
all
to carry out whatever he considered
his
in
and he considered
(p.
things that
were so designated by people
authority"
44).
Does Tolstoy endorse
Ivan llyich's
view of what
his
duty
is?
What
are the dangers
of adhering to such an attitude?
Morality "As a student he had done
vile
things which, at the time,
seemed to him extremely
seeing that people of high
and made him
feel
disgusted with himself; but
things,
later,
standing had
no qualms about doing these
recalled
he was not quite able to
feel
consider them good but managed to dismiss them and not
the least
perturbed
when he
them"
(p.
44).
Which
life is
of Ivan
llyich's
reactions to his behavior does Tolstoy imply to be the
in
proper one? Does the novella support the idea that the most important thing
to
feel
good about
of Life
oneself?
The Purpose
Ivan llyich has
devoted
his
whole existence to career advancement,
have these things prepared him for
social position,
his final crisis?
and material comfort.
How well
U3
Homework
Ask students to begin
due the next
their essays, using the Essay Topics
in this
guide. Outlines are
class period.
I
2
*
THE
BIG
READ
National
Endowment
for the Arts
Works of fiction
our daily
lives
illustrate
the connections between individuals
and
questions of humanity. Great stories articulate and explore the mysteries of
while painting those conflicts in the larger picture of
human
and
struggle. Readers forge
bonds with the story
as the writers voice, style,
sense of poetry inform the plot, characters, and themes.
By
creating
opportunities for learning, imagining, and reflecting, a great
book
is
a
work
of art that
affects
many
generations of readers, changing
lives,
challenging
FOCUS:
assumptions, and breaking
new ground.
What Makes
a Great Book?
Discussion Activities
Ask students to make
the board.
a
list
of the characteristics of a great book. Write these
on
any
What
elevates a
book
to greatness?
Then ask them to
llyich? Is this a
discuss, within
groups, other books they
of these books remind
know
that include
some
of these characteristics.
Do
them
of The Death of Ivan
great book?
A great writer
create
in
can be the voice of a generation.
llyich?
What
tell
kind of voice does Tolstoy
for
The Death of Ivan
Does
does
this
book speak
voice
in
more
than one
man
and
his
personal concerns?
life
What
this
us about the choices and
responsibilities of
for a middle-class
man
19th century Russia?
Divide students into groups. Have each group determine the single most
important theme of the novella. Have a spokesperson from each group explain the
group's decision, with references from the text
Write these themes on the board.
Do
all
the groups agree?
Ef Writing Exercise
Ask students to write
explaining
a letter to a friend,
perhaps one
who
does not
like
to read,
why The Death of Ivan llyich is a good book. The student should make argument that explains why the novella has meaning for all people, even those
an
who
have no interest
in
other times or other places.
H
Homework
Students
the
class.
will finish their
essays and present their essay topics and arguments to
riorul
Endowment for thi
the big read
•
13
.
^^MVUBBM
The
as
discussion activities
and writing
exercises in this guide provide
you with
possible essay topics,
their
do the Discussion Questions
in the
Readers Guide. Advanced students can come up with
own
here.
essay topics, as long as they are specific
and compelling. Other
ideas for essays are provided
For
essays, students
should organize their ideas around a
thesis
its
about the novella. This statement
or thesis should be focused, with clear reasons supporting
conclusion.
The
thesis
and
supporting reasons should be backed by references to the
text.
1
Several times over the course of the novella,
5.
"Ivan llyich suffered
lie
most of
all
from the
lie,
the
we
he
find
statements very
much
like this
life
one: "So
as
which, for
some
reason, everyone accepted:
that
on the whole
it
Ivan llyich's
proceeded
(p.
that he
was not
is
dying, but
was simply
ill..."
(p.
felt
should
first,
—
pleasantly and properly"
86). Why
this "lie"
so disturbing to Ivan
llyich,
52).
Ones
instinctive reaction to
such
and what does he
people?
really
want from other
is
comments might
that? 2.
be, "Well, what's
that?" What, according to Tolstoy,
wrong with is wrong with
How consistent
does
this
this
hatred of
delicate pretense with his attitudes before his
illness?
What
whole experience
character, and about
in
What
sort of person
is
Praskovya Fyodorovna?
suggest about Ivan
Tolstoy's
llyich's
Why
did Ivan llyich
marry her?
How would
Does
his
you
6.
view of human nature
general?
its
characterize their relationship?
attitude
As
Ivan llyich's illness progresses
toward
toward her seem
justified
by her
inevitable end, his
different attitudes
two
and
children have very
feelings
personality and behavior?
3.
toward him and
and impending
At the beginning of Chapter
1880 was "the most
life" (p.
3,
we
his situation.
are told that
his children
What
are the reactions of each of
his suffering
toward
difficult
year
in
Ivan llyich's
face,
53).
What
difficulties
does he
and
death? Each one's feelings align him or her with
another,
what does he seek by way of a solution to them? How is the situation resolved, and what
are his reactions to that resolution?
this
more prominent
character.
Who are
two
these other characters, and what are the
similarities in attitude?
What
does
Which
of these
whole experience
tell
us about Ivan
contrasting responses, the daughter's or the
llyich's
son's,
character and his values?
4.
Like
does Tolstoy
affirm,
and why?
is
many people
with
7.
in
Consistent with the omniscient narrative
the
adverse circumstances,
Ivan llyich
afflicted
wants to know why he has been
his illness,
tone of the
writing,
which
is
authoritative and
what he has done to
frequently judgmental. Suppose that, after the
first
deserve
this cruel fate.
is
Does Tolstoy
is in
chapter, the authorial voice had confined
in fact
itself
suggest that there
any cause-and-effect
any way a
lived?
If
to narration and the omniscience had
limited to Ivan llyich himself, with
his
relationship, that his illness
been
punishment for the way he has
everything presented within the limits of
not,
what
illness
is
the larger thematic function of his
suffering?
own
by
perspective. What might have been gained
and
BIG
this
approach? What would have been
lost?
I
4
*
THE
READ
National
Endowment
for the Arts
.
Teachers
may
consider the ways in which these activities
may
be linked to other Big Read
community
a bookstore.
events.
Most of these
projects could be shared at a local library, a student assemblv, or
1
Have the students create
Petersburg
in
a
photo
gallery of
St
4.
Have the students write and stage
which
Ivan llyich
is
a skit
in
the late
1
9th century, with both
the judge on a television
lines of Judge
exterior and interior scenes, to give a sense of
program along the
he
described
Judy or The
what the outer circumstances of
in
life
were
If
like
Peoples Court (have him portrayed, however, as
is
the world that Tolstoy
is
describing.
in
the novella, not
in
the
possible, try to include scenes
reflective of the novella: an
and persons
smirking and hectoring
judges).
manner of many TV
apartment of a wellin his
The
skit
should include not only the
to-do
family, a
law court, a judge
in
uniform,
presentation of the case and the verdict, but
also the exit interviews with the winning and
losing parties.
and so on. Display the gallery
the classroom
or school
2.
library.
Show your
television
class the
DVD
of the
1
979
British
5.
Have the students draw
the
a series of portraits of
life:
drama A
Question of Faith, which
llyich
Ivan llyich at various stages of his
child;
idealistic
the happy
draws upon both The Death of Ivan
Tolstoy's
and
adolescent; the young
his
man
own
life.
Following the screening, lead
just
embarking on
career and marriage; the
a class discussion to explore the accuracy of
prominent and prosperous judge; the middleaged
the portrayals of the novella and the novellaist,
in
man
troubled by the onset of
his illness;
both
detail
and
spirit
the gaunt and agonized sufferer at the point of
death; the dead
3.
Divide the class into groups, and have each
man
in his coffin
whose
reminder to
group prepare one of the following:
a
speech by
expression was "a reproach or
the
living" (p. 35).
in
a
one of
Display these "Stages of a Life
Ivan llyich's colleagues at a testimonial
his
dinner for him; a eulogy to be delivered at
funeral; a detailed
and Death"
6.
If
the classroom.
New York Times-style
is
obituary
your
class has previously studied
is
Greek or
with the
of him.
In
each instance, the idea
to give a
his
life
Shakespearean tragedy, and
familiar
serious and respectful
summation of
and
conventions of the genre, select two teams of
three students each and stage
a
character as he appeared to the outside world,
formal debate
llyich Is
not the private
us.
man
that Tolstoy portrays for
with the following topic: Resolved. Ivan
a Tragic
Hero
National
I
nulowmcnt
tor tin
THE BIG READ
•
I
5
HANDOUT ONE
Russian
Names
Gerasim shows
respect,
Most people who have never read The Death of
Ivan Ilyich probably assume that Ilyich
protagonists
last
it
not
familiarity,
when he
is
the
addresses his master that way. Notice that Gerasim,
like the
name.
No
the
doubt many people
other servants, has no patronymic; while
who
have read
make
same assumption. They
refers to
patronymics are universal nowadays, they began
must wonder why Tolstoy always
his full
him by
among
aristocrats
and only gradually spread
It
to
name, and so do other characters when
other levels of society.
cuts right to the heart of
they talk about
learn
him and even
to
him. In
fact, as
we
Tolstoy's intentions that the
most
truly honorable
from the obituary notice on the
last
first
page of
is
character in the
book
is
also the least "respectable"
the novella, the central characters
Ilyich at
all.
name
not
It
one. In
His
full
name
is
Ivan Ilyich Golovin.
more
familiar or intimate relationships,
(as
follows the standard Russian pattern: given
name,
diminutives are used
with
Bill for
William or
patronymic, family name.
Betty for Elizabeth). There are different forms for
The patronymic
of one's
father.
is
derived from the given
Ilyich's
name
different relationships. For example, at
one point
Ivan
patronymic was
Ivan Ilyich recalls his childhood,
when he "had
established
when
his father
was born and was
as
been
little
Vanya." Ivan
is
Ilyich's
daughter,
who
is
named
Ilyich
Ilya.
In the
same manner,
soon
as Ivan
called Liza,
affectionately referred to as Lizanka
was given was
his first
name, the patronymic of
of his
at several points in the novella.
And when
salary,
he has
his children
established, as in the case
secured his
new
position
and higher
and
surviving son, Vasily Ivanovich.
has decorated the family's
Petersburg, Ivan Ilyich
is
new apartment
such a good
in St.
in
mood
that
The patronymic
is
usually
formed by adding
he even thinks of his wife in terms of her
—ovich or —evich to the
of,
father's
name, meaning son
diminutive, Pasha.
or by adding —ovna or —evna to the father's
of. (In
name, meaning daughter
an exception to
Interestingly,
Praskovya Fyodorovna does not use
the general rule, the patronymic
Ilya
as
is
meaning son of
is
an affectionate diminutive to address her husband,
Ilyich,
not Ilyevich.)
A woman
identified
which helps
to
emphasize the coolness of their
her father's daughter, not her mother's. Thus, the
Ilyich's
relationship. Instead, she calls
him
Jean, the French
is,
patronymic of Praskovya Fyodorovna, Ivan
wife, indicates that her father's
equivalent for Ivan.
course,
(Its
English equivalent
of
name was
Fyodor.
John
—
yet another
way
in
which Tolstoy
But women's
last
names
are given the feminine
emphasizes the ordinariness of his character; had
the
form: the obituary notice at the beginning of the
novella refers to her as Praskovya
book been written
in English,
he might very
Fyodorovna
well have been called
John Smith.) Jean not only
it
Golovina.
First
sounds
is
less
intimate;
also
shows an
is
affectation for
French names and phrases that
part of the larger
is
name and patronymic
It is
the polite form of
pattern of falsity
and pretension
that Tolstoy
address in Russian.
appropriate for Tolstoy's
satirizing in the novella.
protagonist to be called Ivan Ilyich not only by his
professional colleagues but also
by
his servants.
I
6
'
THE BIG READ
National
Endowment
for the Arts
HANDOUT TWO
The Code
On
of 864
1
page 46 in The Death of Ivan
Ilyich,
we
an
are
Legal reform was brought about by the
Code of
of the
separate,
told that Ivan Ilyich "was offered a post as
1864, which created a
total restructuring
examining magistrate and he accepted
lengthy description of his
it."
After a
judicial system. Previously, there
had been
new
duties
and the
cumbersome
estates
legal
systems for each of the four
the nobility, the clergy, those
rural
manner
in
which he
carried
them
out, Tolstoy
of society
—
concludes
this discussion
with the statement: "This
first
who
lived in cities
and towns, and the
type of work was new, and he was one of the
peasantry. All of these systems were
under the
men
to give practical application to the judicial
absolute control of the emperor and administered
reforms instituted by the
Code of
1864."
by the
official
bureaucracy.
In the mid-nineteenth century, the Russian empire
Under
the
Code of 1864,
everything was unified
was
still
a medieval feudal society.
The
state
into a single system.
A
bar association was formed.
of the executive
maintained absolute power, and individual rights
The
judiciary
became independent
were extremely limited. Calls for reform had been
increasing for decades.
Russia's
power of the emperor. The
of all
first
principle of the equality
They were
intensified
by
parties before the law
was introduced
for the
stunning defeat by France, England, and
in the
time.
So was
trial
by
jury,
with panels of twelve
the
56),
Ottoman Empire
Crimean War (1853social
jurors to decide guilt or innocence
and three judges
which highlighted the economic and
to
impose sentence. Other reforms included open,
backwardness of Imperial Russia.
public hearings; the right oi the accused to be
represented
Czar Alexander
II,
who had assumed power upon
saw
that reform
by qualified
legal
counsel: the right of
the accused to present evidence favorable to his or
the death of his father in 1855,
inevitable.
was
her case; and an appeals process.
He
When
these
a
preferred that
it
come by means
oi
reforms were put into practice, there was
limited
sharp
and controlled expansion of freedom,
increase in the
number
of not -guilty verdicts in
instead of by revolution
and violent
his
social upheaval.
criminal
trials.
The
first
and most famous of
major reforms
serfs.
came
in
1861 with the emancipation of the
rural peasants
These were millions of
who
were
held in bondage to the private landowners
on
whose property they
were also made
lived
and worked. Reforms
in the areas of education, finance.
and
local
government.
National
Endowment
tor the
\ns
THE BIG READ
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7
—
HANDOUT THREE
The Rebirth
The Death of Ivan
its
of Ivan llyich
of
but he cannot see that their attitude proceeds from
the very
llyich begins with the death
main
character, a
man who
is
thoroughly
same
values that he has lived
by
all
his
life
unimaginative, small-minded, self-centered, and
and
still
refuses to reject.
who
has devoted his entire existence to comfort
and conformity.
How
In the brief but devastating final chapter, Ivan
is it
that out of such
llyich arrives,
both physically and
spiritually, at
the
unpromising materials Leo Tolstoy was able to
end of his journey. At the conclusion of the
fashion one of the greatest novellas in
literature?
all
of world
previous chapter, the gnawing voice within
him
could no longer be denied, and he surrendered to
In line with Tolstoy's larger purposes, the
first
is
the awareness that he had wasted his
reaction
is
life.
His
first
chapter does litde to prepare us for what
follow, a powerful
to
terror
and
despair, for
now
he has
examination of the most
existence.
nothing
—not only nothing
upon
son
kiss his
to
show
for his forty-
profound questions of human
at the satirical presentation
We smile
as
his
five years
the earth, but also nothing to
It is
of human nature,
sustain
him
in his final agony.
only
when he
Ivan
Ilyich's friends
and
colleagues,
and even
feels his
hand
that he fully experiences
widow, are affected by
its
his death largely in terms
of
the true
meaning of life
interference with their pleasures
are troubling hints
and comforts.
genuine caring for others
over death and
fall
— emotion and —and he can triumph
honest
is
There
coffin,
—
Ivan llyich in his
into the light.
with his "expression a reproach or a
living;" Ivan Ilyich's son,
We are
that.
never in suspense about what
going to
reminder to the
"eyes
will
whose
happen.
were red from crying"
—but
The
first
page
—
the
title itself
—has told us
die,
their significance
But a much more
significant suspense has
not become
fully clear until the
end of the
carried us to the
end
—how
(not physically, but
book.
emotionally and spiritually) will Ivan llyich
With
the onset of his
illness,
things begin to
and what
will
be the meaning of his
life
and death?
change
painful
for Ivan llyich,
but
it is
a long and
In the end, Ivan llyich achieves the status of a true
—and
He
thus very realistically portrayed
Everyman, not only because death
all,
will
come
to us
as
process.
notices that the doctors treat
him with
treated
but on a
much
deeper
level.
As harrowing
the
same
indifference with
which he had
the conclusion of the novella
is, it is
also hopeful: if
as Ivan
prisoners in court, but his sense of the injustice of
his