Introduction: There is one thing that many people fear in this world besides spiders, and that "thing" is death. Unfortunately, death is inevitable and each of us is destined to die at some point in our lives. In The Death of Ivan Ilyich, written by Leo Tolstoy, the main character Ivan manages to shift his entire perspective to the concept of death. Ivan was once terrified at the thought of death, but Tolstoy managed to change Ivan's view on death by the end of the story. Thesis Statement: Leo Tolstoy's story, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, includes several literary devices such as: theme, imagery, foreshadowing, similes, symbolism, both indirect and direct characterization to show the enormous growth of Ivan Ilyich's character. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayContext: There are many literary devices that Leo Tolstoy included in his novel, The Death of Ivan Ilyich. The use of irony is clearly visible in some parts of the novel. Throughout the novel, you can see how in some parts Ivan contradicts himself, which is quite ironic given the life he has been given. Tolstoy also included the imagery of the literary device. It's almost as if throughout the novel you can really immerse yourself in Ivan's life and see what his life is really like. Another literary device shown in some parts of the novel is foreshadowing. By using the literary device, foreshadowing, the reader can see into the future. Indirect characterization is another great device that Tolstoy includes several times in the novel to allow us to better understand the main character Ivan. Overall, the literary devices used by Tolstoy help develop the plot as a whole, as well as help us immerse ourselves in the world of Ivan Ilyich. One of the main literary devices that helps the reader understand the purpose of Ivan's life was theme. The author, Leo Tolstoy, included many different themes. Evidence and Quotes: One of the messages I took away from reading this novel was that most things in life are not as they seem. A quote that struck me was: “Ivan Ilyich danced as a matter of course; as an investigating judge he now danced only on special occasions (Tolstoy 777)”. Comment: The key word that struck me in this quote is that Ivan “used” to dance. I feel like the purpose of this quote was to show the reader how someone can be surrounded by all the right people, but still not be happy on the inside. Ivan is a character based solely on what is expected from society, when deep down he is not satisfied with it. You can see tremendous growth in Ivan's character from the beginning of the novel to the end. Another literary device that the author uses to represent the character of Ivan are images. The images that the author includes in the novel can help the reader visualize Ivan's life and truly immerse themselves in the world of Ivan Ilyich. Evidence and Quotes: The use of imagery is exemplified in the quote: “Ivan Ilyich began to play, having the ability to play cards cheerfully, wittily and very cunningly, so that he generally won (Tolstoy 777).” Comment: In this quote you can visualize Ivan playing with a wide smile on his face. The imagery in this quote helps the reader see through Ivan's eyes. The literary device, the Image, is strongly exemplified in every single passage to help show the growth of Ivan's character. Theme Sentence: Foreshadowing is another literary device that Leo Tolstoy uses heavily at the beginning of The Death of Ivan Ilyich. On the first page of this novel thepremonition is extremely widespread. Tolstoy uses this device to predict events that will happen towards the end of the novel. Evidence and quotes: You can see the use of this literary device in the quote “Praskovya FyodorovnaGolovina with deep sorrow informs family and friends of the passing of her beloved spouse Ivan Ilyich Golovin (Tolstoy 769)”. Comment: This was a quote written by Tolstoy foreshadowing events that will happen in the future. Tolstoy also uses similes throughout the novel of Ivan Ilyich similes are used to compare Ivan to something else The similes exemplified by Leo Tolstoy in the novel have a unique way of revealing the true character of Ivan Ilyich. Evidence and quotes: You can see the use of this literary device in the quote: “He burst into tears like a child (Tolstoy 801).” Comment: In this quote the author compared Ivan to a child, which is quite ironic since Ivan is friends with upper class people in the beginning. Ivan is shown as someone who has got his life together and gets anything and everything he wants. When in reality this simile shows that Ivan has his breaking points and his life is not as perfect as it seems. Throughout the novel there are similarities that really help the reader see what Ivan's life can be like at times. Theme Sentence: Leo Tolstoy also used the literary technique of symbolism in this novel. Evidence and Quotes: You can see the use of this technique in the quote: “He thought somehow that they were shoving him and his pain into a narrow, deep, black sack (Tolstoy 801).” Comment: In this quote the black sack symbolizes the life of Ivan Ilyich. The black sack is mentioned many different times in this novel, and every time it is mentioned you can connect it to Ivan's life. The Black Bag is basically a deep black hole that Ivan fears deeply. Ivan grew up living a fake life, or basically a life full of expectations, that as I said before, Ivan could have everything he wanted but that doesn't mean he was happy. The black bag is a symbol that can be seen as Ivan's escape from reality. There are many different symbols in this novel, but the black bag allows the reader to see Ivan in his most vulnerable state. Topic Sentence: Indirect characterization is another important literary technique included by Tolstoy. This technique helps the reader see the true personality of the main characters through their speech and actions. Evidence and Quotations: The use of indirect characterization is exemplified in the quote: “Perhaps I did not live as I should have (Tolstoy 802).” This is a quote said by Ivan Ilyich himself. Comment: In this quote you can see how Ivan's character reacts to what is happening in his life. Ivan lies alone, dying, and finally realizes that he should have lived life differently. Instead of working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Ivan realized that he should spend more time with his wife and family. You only live once, so you should make the most of it, and by the time Ivan realized it was too late for him. Thematic sentence: In addition to indirect characterization, Tolstoy also managed to use direct characterization. Evidence and Citations: This literary device is exemplified in the quotation: "Ivan Ilyich was as comme il faut, well-mannered, capable of separating his official duties from private life, and of inspiring general respect as he had been as manager of special projects" ( Tolstoy 776)”. Comment: This is an example of characterization..