Question

Which theme does Leo Tolstoy explore in this excerpt from The Death of Ivan Ilyich? "Then what does it mean? Why? It can't be that life is so senseless and horrible. But if it really has been so horrible and senseless, why must I die and die in agony? There is something wrong! "Maybe I did not live as I ought to have done," it suddenly occurred to him. "But how could that be, when I did everything properly?" he replied, and immediately dismissed from his mind this, the sole solution of all the riddles of life and death, as something quite impossible. A. Humans are shortsighted and inconsiderate toward others. B. Love is unpredictable and can be used to fulfill selfish needs. C. Human mortality is inevitable, and it is important to live an authentic life. D. Materialistic minded people cannot change no matter how difficult life becomes.

Answer 1

The theme which Leo Tolstoy explores in the above excerpt from "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" is:

C. Human mortality is inevitable, and it is important to live an authentic life.

Step-by-step explanation:

The story is evidence of how Ivan explores the journey of finding the meaning of life. When he finds that death is inevitable he starts his journey of compromise. He explores the idea that in order to receive a peaceful death, one should build a positive attitude towards life.

Answer 2

The theme that Leo Tolstoy explores in this excerpt from The Death of Ivan Ilyich is the Human mortality as something imposible to avoid and the reason why people should live an authentic life. Tolstoy declares that we have to be ready for death having good attitudes towards life. If people accept death, they are also accepting life and it brings peace.