John Donne’s “Batter my heart, three-personed God, for You” is a graphic poem on a man’s journey to reclaim his faith. Imprisoned by his sinful nature, the speaker pleads with God to change him. Donne couples precise diction with descriptive conceits in order to illustrate the speaker’s longing to cleanse himself. Yet despite his passionate yearning to become utterly faithful to his God, the speaker realizes he cannot achieve his goal on his own for he must be completely made anew in order to rid himself of his sinful ways.
In the first four lines of the poem, the speaker sets up his dilemma with faith. The speaker believes that God looks to kindly upon him and in order to “make [himself] new,” (line 4) God needs to break him down. The speaker insists that in order for him to rise up, God must “o’erthrow” (line 3) him, or knock down. Believing God’s previous methods of retribution were trite and unsuccessful since they only sought “to mend” (line 6), the speaker requests God to bet him down which would allow him to become ultimately submerged by his faith. Donne also adds to his point of breaking the speaker down when he strays from the original sonnet iambic meter of stressed, unstressed as he uses stress after stress in line 4—“your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.” The repetition of stresses reinforces the poem’s message—the speaker wants God to break him down.
In the next six lines of the poem, the speaker uses conceits in order to highlight his inability to rid himself of his sinful ways. In lines five to eight, the speaker compares himself to a town that has been “usurped” (line 5) by another force. Unable to do repel the forces alone as he “labors to admit” God “but Oh! To no end” (line 6), the speaker believes only God can reclaim the conquered town, or the speaker, and return it to its proper state sin the conqueror, or in the speaker’s case sin. The speaker is also unable to use reason, the “viceroy” (line 7) of the speaker, for it “proves weak or untrue” (line 8) so his only way to rid himself of his sins is with the help of God. The speaker’s next metaphor alludes to the prospect of marriage. The speaker insists on his love for God—“dearly I love you, and would be loved fain”—but admits to his dealings or betrothal to God’s “enemy” (line 10), meaning the Devil and even sin. Once again the speaker implores God to break him from his sinful ways when he asks to be divorced from God’s enemy (line 11).
The speaker finishes the poem in a rather paradoxical fashion. The speaker admits that he cannot be free unless God has imprisoned him (line 12/13), and he cannot be chaste unless he has been ravished and enthralled by God. In order to be wiped clean of his sins, the speaker asks for a violent intervention from God. Without the brutal help of God, the speaker acknowledges he will never alleviate himself from the confinements of the Devil and sin.
“Batter my heart, three-personed God, for You” reflects the speaker’s struggle to sever his ties with sin in hopes of embracing God. Though caked with vivid diction and images, the poem centers around the John Donne’s devotion to religion. Like the speaker, Donne wholeheartedly believed in embracing God because towards the end of his life, in what is known as his Death’s Duel sermon, Donne spoke of how one can only achieve salvation and immortality through an absolute embracement of God, Christ, and the Resurrection. Through this poem, Donne illustrates his beliefs that one can only truly possess faith, with all ties to sin undone, with the help of God alone. (639)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Kesey
GREETINGS Mr. Coon!!
For our final paper, I chose to read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. I am a little less than half way through the novel. I had planned to read my novel during my flights to and from India, but that plan failed because when I had first gone to the bookstore they didn't have One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest so I bought Absalom! Absalom! (which I didn't particularly want to read since we have already read a book by Faulkner) but anyways when I returned from my trip I bought One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Despite not finishing the novel, I find the book rather engaging and entertaining.
As for paper topics, I am not quite sure what to write about. As of now, I am contemplating ideas involving the role of women as oppressors in the novel, particularly depicted by Nurse Ratched, or the challenging of authority as seen through McMurphy. These are very primitive ideas however so when I formulate much more structured ideas I will either talk to you or blog it.
For our final paper, I chose to read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. I am a little less than half way through the novel. I had planned to read my novel during my flights to and from India, but that plan failed because when I had first gone to the bookstore they didn't have One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest so I bought Absalom! Absalom! (which I didn't particularly want to read since we have already read a book by Faulkner) but anyways when I returned from my trip I bought One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Despite not finishing the novel, I find the book rather engaging and entertaining.
As for paper topics, I am not quite sure what to write about. As of now, I am contemplating ideas involving the role of women as oppressors in the novel, particularly depicted by Nurse Ratched, or the challenging of authority as seen through McMurphy. These are very primitive ideas however so when I formulate much more structured ideas I will either talk to you or blog it.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Dreaming of Success
In class we often discussed Willy Loman and his level of success. Our class came to a common consensus that although Willy does provide for his family, he is far from achieving success. Willy only supplies his family with money and expectations of success that he could never reach himself—particularly with Biff. Instead of working harder for the success he so longs for, Willy often dreams of people who have the success he could never have.
Willy admits to having wanted a life of the salesmen Dave Singleman. Willy first gets into the business of selling because of Singleman only “’Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up the phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many people.” Despite his dreams, Willy does nothing to makes his success come true. Rather, he thinks that the success will be laid upon him, like it was to Dave Singleman, and all Willy has to do is make some phone calls. Yet although Willy hopes to achieve this success, he does nothing to fulfill it. We can tell from his relationships with his family that Willy is far from “good” at relationships so this dampers his dreams of having “hundreds of buyers” at his funeral like the ones at Singleman’s. Willy wants to leave some lasting impact on the world like Singleman did since “things were sad on a lotta trains for months after” Singleman’s death. As he grows older, and becomes used up, Willy begins to realize the lack of an impact he will have on the world. Although Willy tried to leave some sort of legacy through having a successful son, Biff is far from successful like his father, for he spends this life wandering from job to job. Willy then in his last moments of despair turns his efforts to planting a garden.
The other way Willy lives in his dream world is through his brother Ben. Willy strives to have the successful life of his brother as he begins to subconsciously mix reality and fiction. When first introducing his children to their Uncle Ben, Willy extols his brother by remarking, “ This is your Uncle Ben, a great man!” Consumed by his jealousy of his brother’s success as he tries to form his own success, Willy begins to mix reality and fiction.
In his attempts to fulfill his dreams, Willy loses sight of the most important elements in his life, such as family, as he becomes consumed with his fantasies of legacy and success. Even his son Biff acknowledges his flaw when he pronounces, "he had the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong." Miller teaches us that it is indeed necessary to have goals and dreams, but in the pursuit of our dreams we cannot lose sight of the important aspects of life or it will lead to our demise.
Willy admits to having wanted a life of the salesmen Dave Singleman. Willy first gets into the business of selling because of Singleman only “’Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up the phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many people.” Despite his dreams, Willy does nothing to makes his success come true. Rather, he thinks that the success will be laid upon him, like it was to Dave Singleman, and all Willy has to do is make some phone calls. Yet although Willy hopes to achieve this success, he does nothing to fulfill it. We can tell from his relationships with his family that Willy is far from “good” at relationships so this dampers his dreams of having “hundreds of buyers” at his funeral like the ones at Singleman’s. Willy wants to leave some lasting impact on the world like Singleman did since “things were sad on a lotta trains for months after” Singleman’s death. As he grows older, and becomes used up, Willy begins to realize the lack of an impact he will have on the world. Although Willy tried to leave some sort of legacy through having a successful son, Biff is far from successful like his father, for he spends this life wandering from job to job. Willy then in his last moments of despair turns his efforts to planting a garden.
The other way Willy lives in his dream world is through his brother Ben. Willy strives to have the successful life of his brother as he begins to subconsciously mix reality and fiction. When first introducing his children to their Uncle Ben, Willy extols his brother by remarking, “ This is your Uncle Ben, a great man!” Consumed by his jealousy of his brother’s success as he tries to form his own success, Willy begins to mix reality and fiction.
In his attempts to fulfill his dreams, Willy loses sight of the most important elements in his life, such as family, as he becomes consumed with his fantasies of legacy and success. Even his son Biff acknowledges his flaw when he pronounces, "he had the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong." Miller teaches us that it is indeed necessary to have goals and dreams, but in the pursuit of our dreams we cannot lose sight of the important aspects of life or it will lead to our demise.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Breaking Free from the Doll House
Despite the overwhelming sexist stereotypes that flood the pages of A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen depicts his beliefs on how the women of the time should break free from their confinements in the “doll house” reality in order to find their true identity separate from the identity of which society forces upon them.
To demonstrate his point, Ibsen uses Torvald to represent the flaws of the present form of marriage. The play begins by depicting the typical middle-class family, with the dominant husband and submissive wife relationship. At the beginning of the play, Ibsen depicts the husband-wife relationship as immensely superficial. Characterized by childish behavior, Nora uses flirtation and childish manipulative tactics to get money and other favors from her husband. Initially Nora and Torvald seem equally content in their relationship with one another, but as Nora’s past deception, when she forged her father’s signature in order to get a loan, comes to light Torvald begins to distance himself from his wife. Though Nora ¬committed this felony for the sake of love in her hopes to help her too prideful of a husband, Torvald ¬¬¬shows no loyalty to his wife in fear of the effects that will befall his career and reputation. And finally when a letter arrives containing Krogstad’s apology and Nora’s forged signature arrives, Torvald exclaims, “I’m saved!” forgetting the implications that would have ensued for Nora and only caring about himself. By depicting Torvald as a disloyal husband, Ibsen demonstrates the superficiality of men, thereby warning women of the importance of being independent from their husbands.
Along with sending a warning on the treacheries of marriage, throughout the play Ibsen makes Nora grow more and more defiant as she learns of the disloyalty of her husband. Initially, Nora disobeys her husband in small measures like eating macaroons when he detests the eating of treats in his house. Her rebellious ways manifest for she begins to work as a copier in a time when married women were not supposed to hold jobs since their work resided at home. As Nora begins to realize she means little to her husband although she has sacrificed so much for him, including her reputation for falsifying documents, she takes the greatest step by leaving home. Nora finally realizes her need for her own independent identity when she states "I believe that, before all else, I'm a human being, no less than you-or anyway, I ought to try to become one." Although she even realizes that it is against the way of the times for she states, "I know the majority thinks you're right, Torvald, and plenty of books agree with you, too. But I... have to think over these things myself,” she knows she can no longer live as a doll, an echo of her husband’s wishes. Nora realizes she must take it upon herself to leave the “doll house” and become her own person.
By depicting untrustworthy, self-centered husband and the joys that follow Nora as she tastes the fruits of independence, Ibsen uses his play to encourage women to break from the norm and pursuer their own independence.
To demonstrate his point, Ibsen uses Torvald to represent the flaws of the present form of marriage. The play begins by depicting the typical middle-class family, with the dominant husband and submissive wife relationship. At the beginning of the play, Ibsen depicts the husband-wife relationship as immensely superficial. Characterized by childish behavior, Nora uses flirtation and childish manipulative tactics to get money and other favors from her husband. Initially Nora and Torvald seem equally content in their relationship with one another, but as Nora’s past deception, when she forged her father’s signature in order to get a loan, comes to light Torvald begins to distance himself from his wife. Though Nora ¬committed this felony for the sake of love in her hopes to help her too prideful of a husband, Torvald ¬¬¬shows no loyalty to his wife in fear of the effects that will befall his career and reputation. And finally when a letter arrives containing Krogstad’s apology and Nora’s forged signature arrives, Torvald exclaims, “I’m saved!” forgetting the implications that would have ensued for Nora and only caring about himself. By depicting Torvald as a disloyal husband, Ibsen demonstrates the superficiality of men, thereby warning women of the importance of being independent from their husbands.
Along with sending a warning on the treacheries of marriage, throughout the play Ibsen makes Nora grow more and more defiant as she learns of the disloyalty of her husband. Initially, Nora disobeys her husband in small measures like eating macaroons when he detests the eating of treats in his house. Her rebellious ways manifest for she begins to work as a copier in a time when married women were not supposed to hold jobs since their work resided at home. As Nora begins to realize she means little to her husband although she has sacrificed so much for him, including her reputation for falsifying documents, she takes the greatest step by leaving home. Nora finally realizes her need for her own independent identity when she states "I believe that, before all else, I'm a human being, no less than you-or anyway, I ought to try to become one." Although she even realizes that it is against the way of the times for she states, "I know the majority thinks you're right, Torvald, and plenty of books agree with you, too. But I... have to think over these things myself,” she knows she can no longer live as a doll, an echo of her husband’s wishes. Nora realizes she must take it upon herself to leave the “doll house” and become her own person.
By depicting untrustworthy, self-centered husband and the joys that follow Nora as she tastes the fruits of independence, Ibsen uses his play to encourage women to break from the norm and pursuer their own independence.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Shakespeare's Women
Although Hamlet focuses on the journey of a son in his hopes of avenging his father, Shakespeare uses women to help catapult the story further. In his efforts to tell Hamlet’s story, Shakespeare often comes off as an antifeminist as he characterizes the women, mainly Ophelia and Gertrude, as weak and unfaithful individuals.
Even at first meeting the character of Ophelia, Shakespeare deems her as weak and naïve. When Ophelia tells her father of her meetings with Hamlet, her father pours scorn on her for meeting a man sin chaperon and insists that Hamlet only wants her for sexual favors and nothing else. After her father’s warnings, Ophelia suddenly spurns her relationship with Hamlet even though Hamlet had, as Ophelia previously stated, “importuned [her] with love in honorable fashion.” Ophelia’s insecurity in her relationship with Hamlet and weak character allowed her to be easily overcome by her father’s advice thereby allowing her to reject Hamlet which in turn helped manifest Hamlet’s “madness.” Likewise, later in the play, Ophelia is once more overcome by her weak persona, which brings her to kill herself. Too overwhelmed with emotions and unable to deal with her situation as a strong woman, Ophelia once again demonstrates her feeble character by killing herself (well sort of---we don’t know for sure if she committed suicide but I vote yes.) Although Shakespeare uses Ophelia to develop the story since she serves as one of the numerous figures that help catapult Hamlet on his mission to avenge his father, Shakespeare’s portrayal of Ophelia as naïve and easily overcome demonstrates his demeaning view of women.
Shakespeare also depicts Hamlet’s mother as an insensitive and unfaithful individual throughout the play. At the mark of the play, we find Gertrude has wedded Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, only a few months after his Hamlet’s father’s death. Gertrude’s quick marriage demonstrates her unfaithfulness to her husband. Even the ghost speaks of her betrayal for when the ghost returns as Hamlet’s father, it acknowledges Gertrude’s unfaithful behavior and tells Hamlet to leave her to be judged by God. Gertrude likewise never shows any sign of remorse after her speedy remarriage for Shakespeare writes, “now our Queen…/ Have we, as ‘twere, with a defeated joy,/ With an auspicious and a dropping eye./ With mirth in funeral, and with dirge in marriage,/ In equal scale weighting delight and dole,/ taken to wife.”
Despite both women’s imperative roles in developing the plot of the play and Hamlet as a character, Shakespeare’s characterizations of Ophelia and Gertrude as insensitive and weak individuals mark him as an antifeminist author.
Even at first meeting the character of Ophelia, Shakespeare deems her as weak and naïve. When Ophelia tells her father of her meetings with Hamlet, her father pours scorn on her for meeting a man sin chaperon and insists that Hamlet only wants her for sexual favors and nothing else. After her father’s warnings, Ophelia suddenly spurns her relationship with Hamlet even though Hamlet had, as Ophelia previously stated, “importuned [her] with love in honorable fashion.” Ophelia’s insecurity in her relationship with Hamlet and weak character allowed her to be easily overcome by her father’s advice thereby allowing her to reject Hamlet which in turn helped manifest Hamlet’s “madness.” Likewise, later in the play, Ophelia is once more overcome by her weak persona, which brings her to kill herself. Too overwhelmed with emotions and unable to deal with her situation as a strong woman, Ophelia once again demonstrates her feeble character by killing herself (well sort of---we don’t know for sure if she committed suicide but I vote yes.) Although Shakespeare uses Ophelia to develop the story since she serves as one of the numerous figures that help catapult Hamlet on his mission to avenge his father, Shakespeare’s portrayal of Ophelia as naïve and easily overcome demonstrates his demeaning view of women.
Shakespeare also depicts Hamlet’s mother as an insensitive and unfaithful individual throughout the play. At the mark of the play, we find Gertrude has wedded Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, only a few months after his Hamlet’s father’s death. Gertrude’s quick marriage demonstrates her unfaithfulness to her husband. Even the ghost speaks of her betrayal for when the ghost returns as Hamlet’s father, it acknowledges Gertrude’s unfaithful behavior and tells Hamlet to leave her to be judged by God. Gertrude likewise never shows any sign of remorse after her speedy remarriage for Shakespeare writes, “now our Queen…/ Have we, as ‘twere, with a defeated joy,/ With an auspicious and a dropping eye./ With mirth in funeral, and with dirge in marriage,/ In equal scale weighting delight and dole,/ taken to wife.”
Despite both women’s imperative roles in developing the plot of the play and Hamlet as a character, Shakespeare’s characterizations of Ophelia and Gertrude as insensitive and weak individuals mark him as an antifeminist author.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Defining Morality
In Antigone, Sophocles poses the question on what constitutes morality. By creating two sisters, Antigone and Ismene, opposed in thought on whether to bury their brother, Sophocles addresses the question of which sibling is truly acting morally. Through examining the play, one can determine that morality is simply based on one’s personal perceptions and beliefs. In Antigone, Ismene and Antigone exhibit contradicting perceptions of law thereby allowing both characters to formulate their own definition of principle. To Antigone, law is a divine creation enforced by the Gods, but to Ismene, law is the decree of the state and its rulers. Despite following their own will and subconscious, neither character can be labeled amoral since their individual perceptions of law vary.
When Antigone first implores her sister to help in burying their brother, Ismene promptly resists. Disinclined to disobey the king, Ismene remarks that she “has no strength to break laws that were made for the public good.” In these words, Ismene illustrates her beliefs that the king’s decree is the ultimate law that governs order as well as her life. Focused on the order set down by Creon, Ismene bases her decisions on her fear of the fatal punishment of death. Even though Ismene is justified in her rejection of partaking in acts that would undoubtedly lead to her demise, Ismene’s bull-headed sibling, Antigone, belittles her until she is finally driven to reverse her position.
Unlike her sister, Antigone views law as the rule of the Gods. Despite knowing the punishment for burying her brother, the strong-minded Antigone challenges Creon’s decree insisting that “it was not God’s proclamation” and therefore it was invalid. Antigone, solely focused on the merits she will receive in the afterlife as she upholds her family’s honor, unwaveringly welcomes the punishment of death, for to her the “final Justice that rules the world below makes no such laws” allowing her act without fear or regret. Resolute in her beliefs, even after her sister reassesses her position and decides to face punishment with Antigone for a crime she did not commit, Antigone demeans Ismene declaring that Ismene “shall not lessen [her] death by sharing it.”
Even though it may appear as if one character is amoral, Ismene by not agreeing to defend her family honor and bury her brother, or Antigone for belittling her sister even after she has agreed to take punishment, neither can be branded dishonorable since they perceived law different. To Ismene, violating the law would result in her death while to Antigone, it would simply elevate her in the afterlife.
When Antigone first implores her sister to help in burying their brother, Ismene promptly resists. Disinclined to disobey the king, Ismene remarks that she “has no strength to break laws that were made for the public good.” In these words, Ismene illustrates her beliefs that the king’s decree is the ultimate law that governs order as well as her life. Focused on the order set down by Creon, Ismene bases her decisions on her fear of the fatal punishment of death. Even though Ismene is justified in her rejection of partaking in acts that would undoubtedly lead to her demise, Ismene’s bull-headed sibling, Antigone, belittles her until she is finally driven to reverse her position.
Unlike her sister, Antigone views law as the rule of the Gods. Despite knowing the punishment for burying her brother, the strong-minded Antigone challenges Creon’s decree insisting that “it was not God’s proclamation” and therefore it was invalid. Antigone, solely focused on the merits she will receive in the afterlife as she upholds her family’s honor, unwaveringly welcomes the punishment of death, for to her the “final Justice that rules the world below makes no such laws” allowing her act without fear or regret. Resolute in her beliefs, even after her sister reassesses her position and decides to face punishment with Antigone for a crime she did not commit, Antigone demeans Ismene declaring that Ismene “shall not lessen [her] death by sharing it.”
Even though it may appear as if one character is amoral, Ismene by not agreeing to defend her family honor and bury her brother, or Antigone for belittling her sister even after she has agreed to take punishment, neither can be branded dishonorable since they perceived law different. To Ismene, violating the law would result in her death while to Antigone, it would simply elevate her in the afterlife.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Pitying Ivan Ilych
Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilych recounts the impending death and fruitless life of Ivan Ilych. Consumed by the materialistic values of his upper-mid class Russian society, Ilych appears to have all—a wife, two children, a new home, and high paying position. Yet Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilych sheds light on the falsity of meaning in Ilych’s life in hopes of exposing Ilych’s self-centered decisions. Yet Ronald Blythe’s assertion that even though Tolstoy condemns “Ivan Ilych’s opportunism, marriage of convenience, vanity, and limitation, an then with astonishment, the reader finds himself beginning to like this conventional man and to be sorry when he starts to lose out to death” holds true as Tolstoy paints a picture of the society’s ideal of self promotion.
Tolstoy makes a point of depicting the societies’ reactions to Ivan Ilych’s death and decaying—a point that helps bring the reader to feel sorry of Ilych. At his death, Ilych’s friends and even his wife are burdened by his funeral. On the arrival of the news of Ilych’s death Peter Ivanovich, Ilych’s best friend, tries only to map out the position he will inherent since Ilych’s seat now stands open. Likewise, Peter becomes upset when he must speak to Ilych’s wife, Praskovya Fedorovna, over playing bridge with all Ivan’s other friends. The indifference towards Ivan’s death evokes a sense of sympathy towards Ivan that is even more greatly fostered by Praskovya’s reaction to her husband’s death. Praskovya masks herself in a façade of a grieving widow in order to extract information on financial dealings. Ilych’s society’s promotion of oneself’s well being and societal status keeps his counterparts from empathizing with his death from lack of deep meaningful connections. (For example, Ilych and his wife married simply due to the similarity of their societal backgrounds.)
Much of the pity that readers develop for Ivan Ilych also lies in Ilych’s realization that his life was in fact meaningless. Plagued with superficiality, Ilych simply recalls his childhood memories as the ones that mattered demonstrating the insignificance of his more present life as an adult. Ilych even begins to characterize his life as “worthless and doubtful” as his final hours draw near. Yet as Ilych realizes his life’s insignificance, he begins to fade more deeply towards death, impeding him from living a life filled with compassionate relationships.
Despite Ilych’s life of self-centered thinking, Tolstoy depicts all of society sharing his myopic view. As Ilych comes to the realization that his life was worthless due to his thinking and materialistic outlook, the reader begins to pity him as he suffers through the pain of his oncoming death.
Tolstoy makes a point of depicting the societies’ reactions to Ivan Ilych’s death and decaying—a point that helps bring the reader to feel sorry of Ilych. At his death, Ilych’s friends and even his wife are burdened by his funeral. On the arrival of the news of Ilych’s death Peter Ivanovich, Ilych’s best friend, tries only to map out the position he will inherent since Ilych’s seat now stands open. Likewise, Peter becomes upset when he must speak to Ilych’s wife, Praskovya Fedorovna, over playing bridge with all Ivan’s other friends. The indifference towards Ivan’s death evokes a sense of sympathy towards Ivan that is even more greatly fostered by Praskovya’s reaction to her husband’s death. Praskovya masks herself in a façade of a grieving widow in order to extract information on financial dealings. Ilych’s society’s promotion of oneself’s well being and societal status keeps his counterparts from empathizing with his death from lack of deep meaningful connections. (For example, Ilych and his wife married simply due to the similarity of their societal backgrounds.)
Much of the pity that readers develop for Ivan Ilych also lies in Ilych’s realization that his life was in fact meaningless. Plagued with superficiality, Ilych simply recalls his childhood memories as the ones that mattered demonstrating the insignificance of his more present life as an adult. Ilych even begins to characterize his life as “worthless and doubtful” as his final hours draw near. Yet as Ilych realizes his life’s insignificance, he begins to fade more deeply towards death, impeding him from living a life filled with compassionate relationships.
Despite Ilych’s life of self-centered thinking, Tolstoy depicts all of society sharing his myopic view. As Ilych comes to the realization that his life was worthless due to his thinking and materialistic outlook, the reader begins to pity him as he suffers through the pain of his oncoming death.
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