In The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Leo Tolstoy tells the story of a High Court judge, Ivan Ilyich Golovin, who lives in Russia in the 19th century . The story centers on a tragedy that strikes Ivan. He falls while finishing the decorations for his new house. As he fell, he hit his side against the window frame. Over time, his health begins to slowly deteriorate until he is permanently bedridden and miserable. Throughout the novella, Ivan's family, specifically his wife Praskovia Fedorovna, constitute a constant nuisance in his otherwise simple life. However, towards the end of the novella, when he is very close to death, Ivan's feelings towards his family change. Ivan's relationship with Praskovya is sad. At the beginning of the story, where Ivan has died, the grief she shows when speaking to Peter Ivanovich does not seem sincere. She only worries about how much she will receive from her pension. However, when Ivan and Praskovya first marry, she is clearly in love with him. Unfortunately, when Praskovya becomes pregnant soon after the marriage, she suddenly becomes "jealous for no reason, expecting him to devote all his attention to her, find fault with everything and make rude and ill-mannered scenes" (Tolstoy 749 ). This attitude only gets worse over time. Towards the end of the short story, Ivan is near death and she begins to show signs of sympathy towards her husband, giving him kind looks, many kisses and comfort (Tolstoy 762-63). These actions are largely in vain, as she has clearly shown Ivan that she cares more about her than him. Ivan remains repugnant to Praskovya for much of the rest of the novella. Ivan and Praskovya have conceived a number of children, but only... middle of paper ... the scene described earlier where Vasya sneaks into Ivan's room, Ivan states that he "feels bad" for Vasya and even for his wife Praskovya, for whom he previously displayed strong hatred. In conclusion, The Death of Ivan Ilyich is the story of false relationships and denial, of a man going through the inevitable and confronting his own denial through suffering. A story of sadness, disgust and selfishness, all to show how artificial some people's lives can truly be. Works Cited Donnelly, Jerome. “The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Tolstoy: satire, religion and criticism of denial.” Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture 16.2 (2013): 73-98. MUSE project. Internet. February 24, 2014. Tolstoy, Leo. “The death of Ivan Ilyich.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner. Trans. Louise Maude and Aylmer Maude. 3rd ed. Flight. E. New York: Norton, 2012. 740-78. Print.