Your post persuaded me to return to this story after not having read it for many years. I really like your idea that it shows how the body’s death can be the birth of the soul. I hadn’t had that thought about this story before, but it's obviously right.
I used to think the story was about authenticity vs. inauthenticity (and that’s definitely a part of it), but I've come to think that it's more of a parable about what it means to live a life of mediation versus one of immediacy. What gets between Ivan and the people in his life (family/work colleagues) is the artificial universe of social convention that holds everyone apart. The characters are shown to be connected only by abstract standards of what makes for “a decent life approved of by society”, with their inborn, childlike delight in living long since conditioned out of them by social norms and expectations. All Ivan wants is to really be seen—directly—by another person, and this is what Gerasim alone is capable of providing.
Thank you for reminding me of this beautiful story.
It's my favorite fiction book at the time. An interesting bit I once learned (but didn't include) and that is aligned to what you are saying is that characters' names are common names among the Russian middle-class, apparently, a fact that is more easily seen if you are reading the Russian version. This just makes it so much more meaningful.
Hi Nicolás,
Your post persuaded me to return to this story after not having read it for many years. I really like your idea that it shows how the body’s death can be the birth of the soul. I hadn’t had that thought about this story before, but it's obviously right.
I used to think the story was about authenticity vs. inauthenticity (and that’s definitely a part of it), but I've come to think that it's more of a parable about what it means to live a life of mediation versus one of immediacy. What gets between Ivan and the people in his life (family/work colleagues) is the artificial universe of social convention that holds everyone apart. The characters are shown to be connected only by abstract standards of what makes for “a decent life approved of by society”, with their inborn, childlike delight in living long since conditioned out of them by social norms and expectations. All Ivan wants is to really be seen—directly—by another person, and this is what Gerasim alone is capable of providing.
Thank you for reminding me of this beautiful story.
It's my favorite fiction book at the time. An interesting bit I once learned (but didn't include) and that is aligned to what you are saying is that characters' names are common names among the Russian middle-class, apparently, a fact that is more easily seen if you are reading the Russian version. This just makes it so much more meaningful.
my life is much dufferent