To what social class does Ivan Ilyich belong? What have been the major values in his life? Does each of his immediate family members share these same values? 2. What are the similarities between Gerasim and Ivan’s own remembered childhood? 3. What advantage is gained by presenting the funeral scene at the beginning of the story? 4. Describe the interview between the widow and Peter Ivanovich in section one (1). 5. What do the various doctors contribute to the story? Why does Ivan Ilyich compare them to himself and other lawyers? What is his wife’s attitude toward them? 6. What are Ivan Ilyich’s varying attitudes toward his pain? What is the relationship of his physical suffering to his mental states? Does his pain have any positive effects? 7. Is there any meaning to Ivan Ilyich’s screaming incessantly for three days? How does his son’s final visit cause him to stop? Does his feeling sorry and trying to ask forgiveness at the end reveal a new attitude? 8. What is the meaning of Ivan’s falling through the bottom of the “black sack” into the “light” and “joy” at the moment of dying? What had hindered him from falling through?
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