Ivan and Gerasim’s Relationship

The relationship between Ivan and Gerasim was platonic.They had no sexual desires or feelings towards one another Geramin just wanted to help and console Ivan during his time of pain (Luprecht, 2010).Example Gerasim stood for hours just to keep Ivan’s leg resting on his shoulders to lessen this pain. He also stayed with him without abandoning him and was willing to help.

Gerasim attitude towards death is sympathetic, teasing, solemn, sad and consoling. He provided a spiritual support to Ivan by empathizing with his plight and relieving his isolation. His attitude toward life was affectionate, determined, tolerant and perseverance. He has a loving heart towards others an example is the spiritual support that he provides to Ivan by empathizing his plight and relieving his isolation was even more import than physical support he provided to him (Gary, 2014).Gerasim is seen like a man of people ready to help when called upon.Ivan is a person who is personally unafraid of death, he is only afraid of personal involvement and he understand that death is inevitable to man.

Ivan days of suffering before death was solemn and sad days example the pain in his left side grows to chronic unpleasant taste in his mouth, he becomes more irritable and begin seeing doctors who diagnosed him with illness and he losespleasure in things that he enjoyed (Tolstoy,2013). pain worsen that he controls his bodily functions,life became so unpleasant that he wants to continue living all the treatments and caring could not save him but death even though he did not want to accept it.

Ivan dream about death was disturbing and irritating. Example he dreamed that he was being pushed into a deep black and his movement was accompanied by suffering which he struggled but cooperated (Grech, 2014). The bag signifies a coffin, after too much struggles, he breaks through, falls, and wake up, that was the end of it.Then, he starts to think of death which he never thought of. At this point, life was useless to him because this was a man that believes in himself and cares only himself. A man full of himself. The pain worsen that he no longer controls his bodily functions, life became so unpleasant that he no longer wants to continue living, all the treatments and caring could not save him but death, even though he did not want to accept it. Ivan was disgusted about his state of living, he hates living in isolated, same time he’s refusing death which finally took his life.

Ivan’s dream concerning the black bag tends to support the prediction that he will soon experience a rebirth or change.He longs for the reprieve of death and fears requilishing his life. However, Ivan’s dream about the black bag supports the prediction that he will soon experience a rebirth. Ivan’s ambivalence becomes clear that the symbol of the bag, as much as the story itself operate on the two levels as well as the symbol of death.The duality of the symbol holds the key to the story and what appeared like physical death was a spiritual rebirth while his whole life was the cause of his spiritual death. He cried out to God in words not dissimilar from those that Jesus used in the passion narratives of the gospel.

Work cited

Gary R., ed. Tolstoy’s the Death of Ivan Ilʹich: A Critical Companion. Northwestern University Press, 2014.

Grech, Victor, Clare Vassallo, and Ivan Callus. “Fafnir–Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research.”(2014).

Luprecht, Mark. “Death and Goodness: Bruno’s Dream and ‘The Sovereignty of Good over Other Concepts’.”Iris Murdoch and Morality. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2010. 113-125.

Tolstoy, Leo. The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Confession. WW Norton & Company, 2013.