My friend Ruby and the Death of Ivan Ilych

Ms.Toroitich
Aug 23, 2017 · 3 min read

“To my dear Ruby, may you continue to be precious and invaluable as the stone you were named after”

To be called a friend, one ought to espouse certain attractive attributes. Ruby is a kindred spirit; she is kind, witty, good humored, charming and brave.To be held to such a caliber is something to be proud of and something to be held dearly. I believe I have found such a friend. Her name is Ruby. She is a gem. This post is dedicated to her.

Ruby introduced me to The Death of Ivan Ilych a highly proclaimed book by the notable author, Leo Tolstoy. By now you have come to notice that I am deeply in love with the man. I share my love for this Russian author with my dear Ruby. The novella serves as a foundation to our ever blooming friendship.

“One who has found a good friend has found a good thing.”

The Novel, The Death of Ivan Ilych is a book I would recommend to any person aspiring to live a better life. The novella tackles a heavy subject, Death. Tolstoy tells the story of a high court judge who is obsessed with climbing the social ladder in Russia. One day, the main character of the book falls down and hurts himself badly. He suffers a great injury which he later discovers is terminal. The injury to his side causes him intense pain and suffering. He questions why he suffers yet he lived a good life according to his standards. The main character of the novella discovers what living a truly good life means. A truly good life is marked by compassion towards others.

Some of you might have noticed that the message of this book is similar to the message of Jesus. “ Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

This is because Tolstoy had just undergone a transformation in his life. A spiritual transformation to be exact. The author lived a lavish lifestyle. As a member of the Russian aristocracy he enjoyed many pleasures of the upper-class. His earlier books, before his “spiritual metamorphosis” described this lifestyle in great detail. (War and Peace and Anna Karenina).

Like the main character in the novella, Tolstoy was obsessed with climbing the social ladder. His main concerns were his outward appearances. Both Tolstoy and Ilych were very self centered individuals who only cared about their own well being.

Ilych the protagonist, learnt a little bit too late in life on the things that actually matter on this earth. He learnt on his death bed that he ought to be more loving to those around him rather than be driven by self interest.

Tolstoy’s masterpiece can be applied in each of our lives. Regardless of age, sex, profession, this story resonates in each of our souls vibrantly. We can each take something home from it.

Thanks to Tolstoy, my friendship with Ruby grew even deeper. I believe our friendship is greater than tastes and preferences. It’s more of wanting the best for each other. In the Aristotelian sense.

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