61 pages 2 hours read

Leo Tolstoy

The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Fiction | Novella | Adult | Published in 1886

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapters 2-3Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 2 Summary

The plot shifts back in time and begins an overview of Ivan Ilyich’s simple “and therefore most terrible” life (255). In youth, he goes through life checking the social boxes necessary to progress continuously in his education and career. He meets his future wife, Praskovya Fedorovna Mikhel, and marries her because she’s a fine enough match, is not bad looking, and comes from a family with some property. The marriage is unremarkable until Praskovya Fedorovna becomes pregnant with their first child. She grows resentful of her husband, and Ivan Ilyich turns his attention to his career.

Ivan Ilyich and Praskovya Fedorovna have several children, three of whom die. The relationship between Ivan Ilyich and Praskovya Fedorovna becomes “still more unpleasant” as their family life progresses (261). Still, Ivan Ilyich finds satisfaction in his work. He moves through the ranks of his profession and is promoted from Assistant Public Prosecutor to Public Prosecutor. The new title requires another location transfer, this time to a province with a higher cost of living, stretching the family’s finances despite a salary increase.

As he continues his upward professional trajectory, Ivan Ilyich spends less time with his increasingly unhappy wife and growing family. He assumes that blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text

Related Titles

By Leo Tolstoy

SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leo Tolstoy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leo Tolstoy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leo Tolstoy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leo Tolstoy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Leo Tolstoy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Leo Tolstoy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Leo Tolstoy
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leo Tolstoy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leo Tolstoy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leo Tolstoy
Guide cover image