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The Death of Ivan Ilych, written in 1886, was Tolstoy's first major fictional work during his post-conversion. Tolstoy's religious philosophy, which illustrates the values of brotherly love, Christian charity, and mutual support, is the framework for writing this novel. Just as Tolstoy's discovery of the true meaning of life led him to fulfill and accept death, Ivan Ilyich's awakening comes through the realization of death, which ignites fear, anger, contemplation, and eventually acceptance.
Death is the story's central theme; through it, one can discern the artificial from the authentic characters and the dichotomy between the inner and outer man.
The character Ivan Illych belonged to an elite social circle. He was intrigued by the idea of being a member of the elite aristocratic society, and individuals who did not conform to the social sphere looked on with disgust. However, he was unaware that his life was an illusion brought by a need to imitate a specific social class rather than find real individuality. That's the true meaning of life concealing behind the blindfolds of his naïve perceptions. His marriage to Praskovya Fedorovna is also an act of illusion. It isn't out of genuine love, but as is standard practice by the bourgeoisie society, it is out of a sense of obligation. She was a good-looking woman from a well-to-do family, which was the essential characteristic he required her to have.
Illych's rude awakening into how he was conforming to social expectations came about when he faced death. Realizing he was dying, he contemplated his life and tried to find out if there was any meaning. Paradoxically, death is responsible for allowing Illych to examine his life. He begins to contemplate those people in his life whom he considers friends. He discovers that they, too, were false because, upon his deathbed, there were no friends to comfort him.
Tolstoy incorporates several patterns of reversal into the structure of the novel. First, Tolstoy reverses the concepts of life and death. The remainder of the story deals with the living, as opposed to the title of Ivan Ilych's death. The chronological end of the story, the actual death of Ivan Ilych, occurs in the first chapter. Early in his life, when Ivan seems to be increasing in power, free will, and societal status, he is being reduced to limitation, repression, and isolation brought on by the grappling force of death. After the seventh chapter, Ivan goes through spiritual rebirth when confined to his study and suffers physical deterioration and loneliness.