In this novella, Leo Tolstoy uses an Omniscient Narrator to tell the story of the death of Ivan Ilyich. He starts the novella off with Ivan’s funeral, then goes back in time to tell Ivan’s life leading up to the moment in which he dies. What the audience must notice is this format is, the things occurring at these times. In the beginning, the audience quickly notices that no one really misses Ivan, just his son and the butler. Every other character seems to just be thankful that it was not themselves who had died and that now a new job opportunity was available. It is also important to know that when omniscient narrator describes Ivan’s life, Ivan puts great value into things like, his job, playing poker games, and decorating. All this is important to know because this…show more content… The meaning of life was a great question, and this novella is how Tolstoy decided to ask the world this very question. This because very apparent to the audience in the above passage. What Tolstoy wanted to know was are people really living life the way they are supposed to, or all making the same mistake as Ivan Ilyich and playing emphasis on the wrong things in life. Tolstoy has Ivan proclaim, “Can it be that life is so meaningless and vile… then why die… something is not right.” What is happening in this scene is Ivan is having an epiphanic moment. He is realizing that there may have been something wrong with the way in which he lived life. He continues on the say, “But maybe I did not live as I should have…But how not if I did everything I ought too?” Tolstoy appeals to existentialism and the questions of why and what is the meaning of life, then proceeds to provide the audient with what he believes is the answer. Tolstoy is trying to emphasize to his audience that we as human being have the wrong ideas of how to live life. Many of us are too
