A Comparison Of Death Of Ivan Ilyich And Metamorphosis

Leo Tolstoy’s “Death of Ivan Ilyich” and Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” both are pieces of literature written in the late 19th century and early 20th century that demonstrates individuals living in middle class yet in an unstable mental and physical life. Both protagonists in each works, have experienced a significant crisis in their lives and resolved the issues with death. Gregor Samsa and Ivan Ilych both displays the action of breaking free from the pressure of being depersonalized by family, friends, and society. The action, which was death, caused both stories to have significant similarities and differences with both the protagonists and secondary characters.

Both stories, The Death of Ilyich and Metamorphosis have significant similarities

as well as numerous factors that causes alienation and not having power to speak up for themselves.

Both characters suffered from adopting a new life where they can’t adjust, only accept. Ivan Ilyich is portrayed as a weak man as he lives his life throughout what society expects an upper living class man to live. In similarity, Gregor Samsa living a religiously conformed life, lives his life up to what the typical middle class man living in a household who handles all family obligations should be. A factor that they both shared were complaints which caused their families to react in ways in which didn’t please each protagonists. For Ivan, he mostly complained about society, his work, and his wife. When his finances became low, Ivan’s whole family treated him indifferent to the point he had to push himself to find immediate solutions to his financial problems. Ivan’s complaint of helplessness came about when it became evident that his salary was becoming insufficient for him and his family to live comfortably, which caused the crucial moment for his colleagues and family to forget his presences. Tolstoy presented to the readers that, “Ivan Ilych felt himself abandoned by everyone, and that they regarded his position with a salary of 3,500 rubles as quite normal

and even fortunate. He alone knew that with the consciousness of the injustices done him, with his wife's incessant nagging, and with the debts he had contracted by living beyond his means, his position was far from normal” (Tolstoy 3). Ivan Ilyich wife, Praskovya Fedorovna an unsupported character in the story, was one of the many to make the suffering of the protagonist exist. His wife was overwhelming and jealous. As they continued to have children, she became ill-tempered and complained more. Throughout their marriage, the couple both portrayed selfishness and no sympathy toward each other. His wife was rejoiced after his death because she could obtain his money. However, Ivan’s wife wasn’t the only unsupportive character that reacted to his death. Having a vague attitude towards Ivan, the secondary characters either supporting him, opposed of him, or treated him indifferent. A secondary character, such as Ivan’s friend and colleague, Peter Ivanovich, realized the expression and sadness on Ivan’s dead face and immediately felt the sympathy he didn’t feel at first. However, Ivan’s friend Peter left the funeral first and made a rapid decision to take a position that Ivan had just to make his wife content. The choice his friend decided to make gave the impression to readers that Peter wasn’t really Ivan’s friend but just the role of his colleague.
For Gregor, work were his most complaints.

Having financial problems as well, Gregor financial problems are shown when Kafka implied, “He felt very proud that he had been able to provide such a life in so nice an apartment for his parents and his sister. But what now if all the peace, the comfort, the contentment were to come to a horrible end?” (Kafka 2). Being the only one in his household to support his family, Gregor contemplates life as the members of his family loses all financial earnings and financial income that he had since he transformed into a bug. His mother, father, and sister being unsupportive characters, made Gregor feels trapped as if his family is not there to help with his new routine because of his transformation. Similar to Ivan Ilyich, Gregor family vague attitudes towards Gregor, caused them to treat him indifferent, opposed him, or supported him. In Metamorphosis, Grete, Gregor sister, treated him indifferent when she lost her sympathy for him. When she accidentally caused Gregor to have a glass splinter in his face from a bottle of medicine that dropped on the floor, she no longer felt the need to comfort him or show her sympathy. Being that Grete accepted her brother when he first transformed, she later reacted to his transformation in an unsupportive way by suggesting to get rid of Gregor as he was disturbing the boarders in their home. Grete was not fully helping him in his transformation due to her vague attitude and

inconsistency.
Having to admit to their new lifestyle, both protagonists accept the truth about confronting the new change that they could not make go away. Ivan confronted his inner voice and understood of the shallow old life he lived and gave welcome to his new life—death. Gregor, however, questioned his humanity while being a bug. Right before he died, he overheard his sister suggesting to get rid of him and that moment he felt an unconditional love for his family. Even though both main characters shared a feeling of alienation, suffering, and unsupportiveness, they died being in different living conditions. Ivan Ilych had a nurse to help him personally with his health and his insightfulness. The nurse helped him to open up his heart to a world where he could accept pain, helplessness, isolation, and death. Unlike Ilyich, Gregor was disliked by his family. Gregor died alone and his heart or remembrance was not cared for.