“Ivan Ilych’s life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible” – Leo Tolstoy, from his novella The Death of Ivan Ilich Ivan Ilych’s values and desires were ruled by the opinions of others. In the bargain for social standing, he compromised the voice of his soul, he relinquished his freedom and individuality. He followed convention and pursued a life of shallow relationships and petty self-interest. In a death-bed epiphany, Ivan recognized the terrible price he paid for conformity, for safety, for basing his …
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