Leo Tolstoy's The Death Of Ivan Ilych

The American Dream: Evaluated Through The Death of Ivan Ilych

The dictionary defines the American dream as “A life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S.” (Dictionary.com). Sounds perfect does it not? Evaluating through Tolstoy’s example found in The Death of Ivan Ilych produces a different conclusion. Tolstoy’s character Ivan pursues and achieves the American Dream. He possesses a position of great power and status, and material wealth; every action of Ivan’s is fueled by greed or a desire for comfort and power. However, he is unsatisfied, and at death’s door Ivan discovers that everything he “accomplished” has no value. As illustrated in Leo Tolstoy’s novella, The Death of Ivan Ilych,

Perhaps the greatest example is his depression in chapter three produced by the failure to address his greed, and pride. Tolstoy illustrates Ivan and his family’s discontent in this line “So they [Ivan and his family] began living in their new home in which, as always happens, … they found they were just one room short and the increased income, which as always was just a little… too little” (Tolstoy 24). By writing this, Tolstoy is not only saying that Ivan and his family are unsatisfied with their current material wealth, but that they will always be dissatisfied. As F. Scott Fitzgerald warned through his novel The Great Gatsby, “a pursuit of happiness driven by greed is not attainable” (Amadeo). I would argue that the American dream I have defined is exactly what Fitzgerald warns against, “a pursuit of happiness driven by greed” whether its greed for material wealth, or greed for status. Thus the American Dream is not a successful path to happiness. The constant discontentment Ivan experiences continues the agreement.

On his death bed, Ivan recognizes the fruitlessness of his lifestyle. As Ivan aged “the more worthless and doubtful were the joys” they were “trivial and often nasty” (Tolstoy 56). Realization hits Ivan “It is as if I had been going downhill while I imagined I was going up” (Tolstoy 57). Essentially, Ivan argues that while climbing the social ladder, or fulfilling the American Dream, he lost the true value of