http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/death-of-ivan-illyich Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:37:26 -0400 Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:37:26 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/219/ivans-transformation-and-coming-to-terms-in-leo-tolstoys-the-death-of-ivan-illyich By Michael C. Wiseman - In Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Illyich, the story's protagonist--Ivan--is dead before the story begins. The first chapter concerns itself with some of Ivan’s work associates. With the exception of a posthumous cameo, Tolstoy completely omits the title character from the first chapter. He does this to show that Ivan was shaped by the flaws of his society. By displaying Ivan’s friends at a significant time, Tolstoy shows us what Ivan’s society was like, and vicariously shows the readers what kind of man Ivan was. In short, Ivan lived as a vicious bureaucrat: living life to... Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:51 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/219/ivans-transformation-and-coming-to-terms-in-leo-tolstoys-the-death-of-ivan-illyich