An Inauthentic Life
I felt that Ivan Ilych’s character was the complete opposite of Morrie’s character from the book ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ by Mitch Albom. Morrie faces death with acceptance and calm, while Ivan Ilych reacts to it with fear, anger, and bitterness. One passes his wisdom to others and accepts the end of life, and the other becomes increasingly frustrated and angry when he realizes the life he lived was not truly his own. It was a really intriguing read. The writing was captivating, and the topic is something that interests me a lot, as it does everyone, since death is certain and unavoidable. The story is mainly about the denial of death and about living an inauthentic life by always trying to do what is considered proper in society. This way of living ends up leading to regret. It also talks about alienation — feeling completely alone even when surrounded by people — and many other themes that I probably couldn’t fully catch while reading. When the book ends, everything comes back to the beginning. You understand that the friends in the first chapter are dealing with the same way of thinking Ivan Ilych had: the denial of their own mortality and the illusion that death only happens to others. Even after witnessing Ivan’s suffering and death, they quickly return to their normal lives, which suggests that they may end up following the same path and facing the same regrets as Ivan Ilych. A life can look successful, reasonable, and enjoyable—and still feel empty when it ends.