Question

What is the purpose of the scene in Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich in which Ivan Ilyich thinks about the following logical argument, known as a syllogism?

"Caius is a man, men are mortal, therefore Caius is mortal.”
A.to show that all men are mortal and therefore Ivan Ilyich, a man, must die
B.to show that Ivan Ilyich finally acknowledges that he is dying
C.to show that Ivan Ilyich’s attitude toward life has not prepared him to face death
D.to show that Ivan Ilyich has had a good education and therefore his thoughts are sophisticated

Answer 1

The syllogism is used (A) to show that all men are mortal and therefore Ivan Ilyich, a man, must die.

This is a logical argument in which Ivan believes that Caius is a man and that all men are mortal, then Caius too must be a mortal.