Human Experience of Illness

Human Experience of Illness

Introduction

Ivan is the second born in their family of three sons he attended school of law when he was thirteen years old. He worked as examining magistrate and migrates to new province. He then gets into marriage with Praskovya (Tolstoy, L.N 2004) .Ivan is promoted and gives more attention to his job than the family is. He wants to become presiding judge in a university town but he does not. He asked for leave. He went to live with his family in the country to his brother in laws house. The salary of the job did satisfy him and his family. He has a daughter called Lisa and a son called Vasya.Ivan being spiritually dead takes hypodermic injections of morphine and do not relieve his pain. When foods are offered to him he doesn’t accept, he fails to control his body functions. Gerasim is assign task of helping Ivan .one day he is helping him to sit to the sofa he finds relive of his pain when Gerasim is holding his feet (Tolstoy, L.N 2004). Gerasim is ready to help him. One thing that is disturbing him is deception of the people around him; they pretend Ivan is not seriously sick. As Ivan sees the act of his dying reduced to unpleasant incident, he becomes bothered because nobody is concerned about him. He wants people to know that he is sick and being comforted like any other sick person .his wife daughter and close friends do not understand his conditions. Only Gerasim makes clear to Ivan knows about Ivan situation and consoles him. Sometimes he supports Ivan legs at night, he does not see work as a burden and he enjoys the  comfortable in assisting him. This helps him to rescue Ivan from being isolated and living unhappy life.

Moral elevation of Gerasim is an attack to tradition and normal way of life .Gerasim accepts to live in unpleasantness and pain while serving Ivan. It is through Gerasim , he transforms to other human beings and changes his behavior.Tolsoy is bringing about the process of spiritual rebirth where by Gerasim acts as a midwife by supporting Ivan feet on his own shoulders a position like the one normal birth. He also symbolizes truthfulness by being willing to admit Ivan is dying contrary to Ivan family and close friends. He says that it was death and not illness.  At the end of chapter 7 the moral pain from the lie tormented Ivan more. This lies is like in ability to respect and support the less fortune

In chapter 8 Tolstoy brings out today presents a day in life of the dying protagonist and along with monotony emerges. Ivan awakes conscious while Gerasin is no longer next to him his life has changed to undifferianted circle of great suffering having death as reality.Peter visits him and requests him to give his medicine with aim of delaying him because he was alone in the house. Peter brings tea when he comes back Ivan stared at him without realizing who he was by later he recognizes him and begins washing and dressed with peters assistance (Freeman, M. 1997). Doctor comes for examination Ivan sees this s deception and nonsense but he agrees tough he knew were lies. Praskovya enters the room in a way that Ivan feels hatred for her (Tolstoy, L.N. 2004). When the examination was over Praskovya announces for celebrated specialist. Ivan is given injection and sleeps till dinner .after dinner Praskovya enters into Ivan room and immediately Ivan  remembers that she and the family were supposed to see Sarah Bernhard Lisa his daughter and Fedah comes into the room followed by Vasya his son was full of  fear and pity just like Gerasima conversation began Praskovya, Lisa and Fedah Lisa boyfriend talks about realism of Sarah Bernhard acting.Ivans eyes began glittering this expression cuts the conversation and silence began in the room. The fear that conventional deception would be revealed and truth would be known. Lisa speaks and on her suggestion everyone leaves for the play. The falsity leaves with them and this makes Ivan feel better. In this chapter we see doctors disregarding the concern of his patient and carries out the normal duties according to his profession and the conditions of the patient.Prascovyia adopted loving concern and this shows a wise love to her husband in need, this is not her true feeling towards her husband .it comes to our understanding that Ivan actual feeling are covered artificial attitudes.Praskovya concern for Ivan is hostile impassion to his death. Prascovyia is showing hopelessness doctors bring the patient they are attending to. Ivan by agreeing for examination shows the disgust people have in the community (Tolstoy, L.N.1971). (The visit by wife, daughter and her fiancé before the theatre implied pretence in the society on how medical attention is given to the sick. They insisted to treat Ivan like a sick person instead of dying person. When conversation began realism of Sarah Bernhard acting, Ivan does not act anymore, the family leaves to attend the play (Tolstoy, L.N 2004). Generally, in this chapter the whole life of Ivan is a play and false and artificial convention of resulting to his death.

In chapter 10 Praskoyva comes late from the play and wants to send Grasim away Ivan commands her to leave instead. Ivan takes opium and drinks being pushed to deep sack but he cannot be pushed to the bottom he is full of fear and wants to fall into the sack, suddenly he wakes up and sends Grasim away and began weeping to God then becomes quite like he is listening to somebody. The voice asked him what he want and he answered he wants to live well like he used before he revealed his life and comes to conclude that he is moving to public opinion. He thinks that he is not living his life but he forgets it. We learn that commanding his wife to live his house is symbolizing Ivan new life. Rejecting the artificial and pretence of his life resolves the tension that was there in chapter 8.in his dream the bag represents death. Escaping from the bag shows Ivan escaping power of death. The suffering he experiences passing through the bag shows trauma of being born to a new life. Because bag also represents womb (Tolstoy, L.N. 2004) .In Ivan live what is seen as physical death is the spiritual rebirth. In addition, his old life is main cause of spiritual death. Very interesting that immediately he wakes up from dreaming he cries to God in words like the way Jesus did.