Psychological Importance in the Death of Ivan Ilych In the Death of Ivan Ilych Leo Tolstoy conveys the psychological importance of the crucial last scene through the use of diction, symbolism, and irony. As Ivan Ilych suffers his final moments on earth, Tolstoy chronicles this man's struggle to evolve and, ultimately, to realize that his life was not perfect. By using symbols Tolstoy creates a vivid image related to a topic that few people can even begin to understand: reviewing one's life while on the brink of death. Using symbols and irony, Tolstoy vividly conveys how Ilych sees death as darkness until his final moments of life, when he finally admits imperfection. In the first paragraph of the final chapter, Tolstoy uses simple language to explain the worldview of Ivan Ilych's death. . This language expressing such suffering is in stark contrast to the metaphorical language Tolstoy uses to describe the internal struggles Ivan Ilych experiences. Tolstoy vividly describes Ivan Ilych's last three days as he screams and writhes in utter misery, but lyrical diction is markedly absent. But the opposite is true when he notes that Ivan Ilych entered this state of misery with the same unresolved doubts that tormented him during his illness. Here is how these doubts continue to ravage Ilych in his final hours. His family, observing only from the outside, simply watches in horror. Their helplessness and immobility are in stark contrast to Ivan's inner being. His family sees him utter only the simple letter “O” and occasionally “I will not” (Tolstoy 61), and is completely incapable of understanding his struggle with death. They can't see beyond the surface of his pain. Through Tolstoy's contrasting stylistic elements in his description... in the middle of the paper... in an unchanging and blissful instant. His death was peaceful. He's actually alive for another two hours of gasping and moaning. In The Death of Ivan Ilych, Leo Tolstoy conveys the psychological importance of the last scene through the use of diction, symbolism, irony. His word choices create stark contrasts between Ilych's inner turmoil and the world around him. The irony employed by the author further serves to illustrate the life of self-deception this madman has led. With brilliant symbolism, the reader is led through the pain and turmoil towards the "light" as Tolstoy concludes The Death of Ivan Ilych with Ivan Ilych having a sudden revelation of the wrongdoings he had so strongly justified. Bibliography Tolstoy, Leone. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich." The Kreutzer Sonata and other stories. Trans. Louise and Aylmer Maud. New York: Dover Publications, 1993.