Question

What does the black sack in this excerpt from Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich symbolize?

Till about three in the morning he was in a state of stupefied misery. It seemed to him that he and his pain were being thrust into a narrow, deep black sack, but though they were pushed further and further in they could not be pushed to the bottom. And this, terrible enough in itself, was accompanied by suffering. He was frightened yet wanted to fall through the sack, he struggled but yet co-operated. And suddenly he broke through, fell, and regained consciousness. Gerasim was sitting at the foot of the bed dozing quietly and patiently, while he himself lay with his emaciated stockinged legs resting on Gerasim's shoulders; the same shaded candle was there and the same unceasing pain.

Answer 1

The excerpt is from The Death of Ivan IIyich by Leo Tolstoy which was first published in 1886. This was a masterpiece about the thinking of death and dying by Leo Tolstoy.

The plot of the novel grew up with sickness of Ivan llyich. As he fell sick and started to feel pain he tried every kind of remedy but it didn't work. Finally, he went into a situation where he was passing his days to meet the death. At this time he was wondering about the death. He knew that although he hated death,but he could not escape from this.

On the given excerpt,there is a description of the final moments of Ivan llyich. It was said that,"It seemed to him that he and his pain were being thrust into a narrow, deep black sack, but though they were pushed further and further in they could not be pushed to the bottom". On these given lines, the black sack means the death. He was not willing to fall in the black sack which means death but he could not resist this. But at some point he, it would be less painful after falling into the black sack which indicates that the life after death he was thinking.

So, the word black sack means death in the excerpt.

Step-by-step explanation: