The social role and personal identity in the text has two roles to the reader: to inform of the historical reality of the day, and a more subtle reproach to the materialistic reality of the day.

Tolstoy is challenging us to read in ‘double thought’, to consider the material first and the spiritual later.

Do not read the story at face value, there is much more context beneath the surface!

The majority of the text concerns the life of Ivan Ilyich, a man concerned with the mundane, everyday existence. Note that he is self-involved, considers only himself in relation to leading a comfortable life.

His social role is imperative to him: he wants to live a comfortable life by the social expectations imposed on him. Is he a political operative without being in politics?

What is Tolstoy trying to explain here, about the social role in this text?

Death in this text is not considered a major means of mourning and loss, but rather of gain.

For example, Pitor Ivanovich reacts to Ivan Ilyich’s death as a means to move his brother-in-law to a new position.

The character Schwartz is jovial, and exhibits no outward signs of grief.

Praskovya Fiodorovna (the widow) is calculating and self involved, using her grief as a manipulating tool to extract money from the government.

Death in this society is not about mourning the dead, but about the availabilities made as a result of the death.

Consider this quote: “To say that Ivan Ilyich married because he fell in love with his betrothed and found she sympathized with his views on life would be as untrue as to say that he married because his social circle approved of the match.” (pp. 114).

Is this a critique on marriage being a social convenience and not of love? Does this sync with Tolstoy’s mystic teachings of ‘love’?

The text is speaking of many things in different contexts. Consider this: Ivan Ilyich lives a life of relative wealth and power due to his position as a member of the supreme court. Yet his death is marked as profound because his wealth and power is unable to protect him from death.

Is Tolstoy trying to get us to consider the futility of a materialistic life?

It seems as though Tolstoy is trying to inform us of the inner workings of how one’s place in society is intimately linked with our personal identity.

Ivan Ilyich created his identity based on other people’s perception of him. He also created his identity by a means of social mobility. But his death is still as commonplace as any other death. His identity essentially fraudulent.

Consider the text as a “double text”, that it was written in one way with an intention to have a different impact. Is this Tolstoy’s version of a religious parable?

Social climbing is not a particularly new thing, but in this text it is given particular analysis. Why is this? Is the message clear?

Who is Ivan Ilyich?