Snows Of Kilimanjaro And Death Of Ivan Illych Essays -

Snows Of Kilimanjaro And Death Of Ivan Illych The Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Ernest Hemingway and "The Death of Ivan Ilych" by Leo Tolstoy are both excellent literary works that both deserve equal praise. Hemingway's story is about a regretful, wasted author named Harry who is lying on an African plain dying of gangrene. Ivan, the main character in Tolstoy's story, is dying of a incurable illness and reminiscing of his life and grieving over everything he did not do right. Both stories have equally effective points of view told in third person narrative. "The Death of Ivan Ilych" has more realistic conflicts than does "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" which has extremely powerful symbols. Both Hemingway and Tolstoy are successful in coupling these three elements with various themes to make each of the stories equally enjoyable. The point of view used in "The Death of Ivan Ilych" and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a third person narrative, and has been used effectively in both stories. Each of the authors use a shifting form of narration that efficiently helps to depict both Harry's and Ivan's situation. In "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," Ernest Hemingway's narrative changes from viewing the couple to inside Harry's mind through a series of italicized flashbacks and since the two perspectives are differentiated in the text the plot is relatively easy to follow. The narrative in "The Death of Ivan Ilych" is more complicated than "The Snows of Kilimanjaro." Tolstoy directs attention to Robbins - 2 various perspectives: from Ivan's mind looking out, from the point of view of other characters, and from the outside focusing in on various characters. Hemingway uses a narrative that is direct, most of which is dialogue, and through this the story unfolds: "I've been writing," he said. "But I just got tired." "Do you think you will be able to sleep?" "Pretty sure. Why don't you turn in?" "I like to sit here with you." "Do you feel anything strange?" he asked her. "No. Just a little sleepy." "I do," he said. (Hemingway, 452) Tolstoy, on he other hand, comments throughout the narration, interpreting each incidence: He reached home and began to tell his wife about it. She listened, but in the middle of his account his daughter came in with her hat on, ready to go out with her mother. She sat down reluctantly to listen to this tedious story, but could not stand it long, and her mother too did not hear him to the end. (Tolstoy,156) Both points of view have aspects that simplify them, as well as aspects that create confusion. Hemingway effectively uses italicized sections to separate Harry's flashbacks from reality while Tolstoy's narration is not as easy to comply with considering that there is no device to contrast the different perspectives. Tolstoy's writing is an interpretation of the occurrences in Ivan's life where as Hemingway's is more dialogue making it more challenging to interpret. Considering both stories have complicated narration with styles of writing that can be confusing as well as both using different literary devices to aid in easing any confusion, the point of view in "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is no more effective that in "The death of Ivan Ilych." The conflicts in "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and in "The Death of Ivan Ilych" are Robbins - 3 extremely similar and are both supported by a theme of coming to terms with a wasted life. The core of all conflicts is the external strife between both Harry and Ivan and the terminal illnesses that they battle. Since neither are in a position to overcome these diseases, various internal struggles arise. Hemingway and Tolstoy both describe various failure and regret issues the main characters must examine: Now he would never write the things that he had saved to write until he knew enough to write them well. Well, he would never fail at trying to write them either. Maybe you could never write them, and that was why you put them off and delayed the starting. Well he would never know, now. (Hemingway, 438) Harry's struggle concerns things he failed to complete while Ivan's is about all that he had accomplished through methods that were not morally right: "?Yes, it was all not the right thing,' he said to himself, ?but that's no matter. It can be done. But what is the right thing?'" (Tolstoy,180). Tolstoy also explores an aspect of denial within Ivan making the use of conflict more effective than that used in "The Snows of Kilimanjaro." "The pain did not grow less, but