Question

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In this excerpt from Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Ivan is weak and on his deathbed. Which two sentences show that the young Gerasim is a character foil to Ivan?

Once when he got up from the commode too weak to draw up his trousers, he dropped into a soft armchair and looked with horror at his bare, enfeebled thighs with the muscles so sharply marked on them.


Gerasim with a firm light tread, his heavy boots emitting a pleasant smell of tar and fresh winter air, came in wearing a clean Hessian apron, the sleeves of his print shirt tucked up over his strong bare young arms; and refraining from looking at his sick master out of consideration for his feelings, and restraining the joy of life that beamed from his face, he went up to the commode.


… Ivan Ilyich told Gerasim to sit down and hold his legs, and began to talk to him. And strange to say it seemed to him that he felt better while Gerasim held his legs up.

After that Ivan Ilyich would sometimes call Gerasim and get him to hold his legs on his shoulders, and he liked talking to him. Gerasim did it all easily, willingly, simply, and with a good nature that touched Ivan Ilyich. Health, strength, and vitality in other people were offensive to him, but Gerasim's strength and vitality did not mortify but soothed him.


What tormented Ivan Ilyich most was the deception, the lie, which for some reason they all accepted, that he was not dying but was simply ill, and he only need keep quiet and undergo a treatment and then something very good would result. He however knew that do what they would nothing would come of it, only still more agonizing suffering and death.



1.Once when he got up from the commode too weak to draw up his trousers, he dropped into a soft armchair and looked with horror at his bare, enfeebled thighs with the muscles so sharply marked on them.


2.Gerasim with a firm light tread, his heavy boots emitting a pleasant smell of tar and fresh winter air, came in wearing a clean Hessian apron, the sleeves of his print shirt tucked up over his strong bare young arms;


3.… Ivan Ilyich told Gerasim to sit down and hold his legs, and began to talk to him. And strange to say it seemed to him that he felt better while Gerasim held his legs up.


4.Health, strength, and vitality in other people were offensive to him, but Gerasim's strength and vitality did not mortify but soothed him.


5What tormented Ivan Ilyich most was the deception, the lie, which for some reason they all accepted, that he was not dying but was simply ill, and he only need keep quiet


6.. He however knew that do what they would nothing would come of it, only still more agonizing suffering and death.

Answer 1

In this excerpt from Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Llyich, the sentences that show that the young Gerasim is a foil to Ivan are number 2 and 4.

These two sentences show the contrast between the character of Ivan and Gerasim. Gerasim is Ivan's nurse and the butler's assistant, he serves as a foil to Ivan because he is healthy, strong, vigorous, direct, he feels joy for life, he is considered of his master's feelings. In these two sentences it shows that Gerasim is just everything that Ivan is not.

Answer 2

A character foil is one that contrast with the other character. In the case of Ivan he was weak and ill on his way to death, so Gerasim contrasted his character by showing strength and health, this appears in the part where Gerasim came in with strong bare young arms and later showing health and vitality.

The two sentences that show this contrast and Gerasim as characters foil to Ivan are in option 2. and 4.

2.Gerasim with a firm light tread, his heavy boots emitting a pleasant smell of tar and fresh winter air, came in wearing a clean Hessian apron, the sleeves of his print shirt tucked up over his strong bare young arms;

4.Health, strength, and vitality in other people were offensive to him, but Gerasim's strength and vitality did not mortify but soothed him.