Question

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

“When I am not, what will there be? There will be nothing. Then where shall I be when I am no more? Can this be dying? No, I don’t want to!” He jumped up and tried to light the candle, felt for it with trembling hands, dropped candle and candlestick on the floor, and fell back on his pillow.

Answer 1

The candle symbolizes his life. From what I read, I can infer that as the candle hit the floor and likely had it's flame die, the man died as well. His trying to capture the candle before it fell, was  a symbolization of his desperate attempt to stop himself from dying.