Introduction: There is one thing that many people fear in this world other than spiders, and that “thing” is death. Unfortunately, death is inevitable and all of us will die at some point in our lives. In The Death of Ivan Ilyich, written by Leo Tolstoy, the main character Ivan manages to completely change his perspective on the concept of death. Ivan was once terrified of death, but Tolstoy was able to change his view of death by the end of the story. Thesis Statement: Leo Tolstoy's story, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, includes different literary devices such as: theme, imagery, foreshadowing, similes, symbolism, characterization both indirect and direct to showcase the enormous growth of Ivan Ilyich's character.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayBackground: Leo Tolstoy included many literary devices in his novel, The Death of Ivan Ilyich. The use of irony is clearly visible in certain parts of the novel. Throughout the novel you can see how Ivan contradicts himself at certain points, which is quite ironic considering the life he is given. Tolstoy also included imagery from the literary device. It's almost as if throughout the novel you can really delve into Ivan's life and see what his life is really like. Another literary device featured in parts of the novel is foreshadowing. By using the literary device of foreshadowing, the reader can see into the future. Indirect characterization is another great way that Tolstoy includes several times in the novel in order to give us a better understanding of the main character Ivan. Overall, the literary devices used by Tolstoy help develop the plot as a whole and immerse us in the world of Ivan Ilyich. One of the main literary devices that helps the reader understand the purpose of Ivan's life was the theme. The author, Leo Tolstoy, included many different themes. Evidence and Quote: One of the messages I took away from reading this novel was that most things in life are not what they seem. A quote that stood out to me is the following: “Ivan Ilyich danced naturally; as an investigating judge, he now only danced on special occasions (Tolstoy 777).” Comment: The key word that struck me in this quote is that Ivan “danced”. I think the purpose of this quote was to show the reader how someone can be surrounded by all the right people, but not always be happy inside. Ivan is a character based solely on what is expected of society, when deep down he is not happy with it. You can see considerable growth in Ivan's character from the beginning of the novel to the end of the novel. Another literary device that the author uses to help describe Ivan's character is imagery. The images that the author includes in the novel can help the reader visualize Ivan's life and truly delve into the world of Ivan Ilyich. Evidence and Quote: The use of imagery is illustrated in the quote: “Ivan Ilyich began gambling, having the ability to play cards cheerfully, quick-witted and very shrewd, so that he usually won (Tolstoy 777).” Comment: In this quote you can visualize Ivan playing a game with a big smile on his face. The images in this quote help the reader see through Ivan's eyes. The literary device, imagery, is heavily illustrated in each passage to help show the growth of thecharacter of Ivan. Topic 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, foreshadowing is extremely prevalent. Tolstoy uses this device to predict the events that will occur towards the end of the novel. Evidence and Citation: You can see the use of this literary device in the quote “Praskovya FyodorovnaGolovina informs with deep sadness her family and friends of the death of her beloved husband Ivan Ilyich Golovin (Tolstoy 769)”. Commentary: This is a quote written by Tolstoy that foreshadows events that will occur in the future. Tolstoy used foreshadowing in order to help the reader understand how Ivan's life progresses throughout the novel. Topic Sentence: Tolstoy also uses similes throughout the novel. In The Death of Ivan Ilyich, similes are used to compare Ivan to something else. The comparisons illustrated by Leo Tolstoy in the novel reveal in a unique way the true character of Ivan Ilyich. Evidence and Citation: 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 compares Ivan to a child, which is quite ironic since in the beginning, Ivan is friends with the upper class people. Ivan is presented as someone who has his life organized and gets everything he wants. When in reality, this comparison shows that Ivan has his breaking points and his life is not as perfect as it seems. Similes are included throughout this novel, which really helps the reader see what Ivan's life can be like at times. Topic Sentence: Leo Tolstoy also used the literary technique of symbolism in this novel. Evidence and Quote: You can see the use of this technique in the quote: “He thought that somehow they were pushing him and his pain into a deep, narrow black bag (Tolstoy 801 )”. Comment: In this quote, the black bag symbolizes Ivan Ilyich's own life. The black bag is mentioned several times in this novel, and each time it is mentioned you can relate it to Ivan's life. The black bag is basically a deep, dark hole that Ivan fears deeply. Ivan grew up living a fake life, or basically a life full of expectations, which as I said earlier, Ivan could have anything he wanted but that didn'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 throughout this novel, but the black bag allows the reader to see Ivan at his most vulnerable. Topic Sentence: Indirect characterization is another important literary technique included by Tolstoy. This technique helps the reader see the true personalities of the main characters through their speeches and actions. Evidence and Citation: The use of indirect characterization is illustrated in the quote “Perhaps I have not lived as I should have (Tolstoy 802).” This is a quote from Ivan Ilyich himself. Commentary: In this quote you can see how Ivan's character reacts to what is happening in his life. Ivan lies alone, dying, and in the end he finally realizes that he should have lived his life differently. Instead of working twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Ivan realized he should spend more time with his wife and family. You only live once, so you have to make the most of it, and when Ivan realized it was too late for him. Topic sentence: In addition to indirect characterization, Tolstoy also managed to use characterization..