Snows Of Kilimanjaro And Death Of Ivan
Illych Essay, Research Paper
“ The Snows of Kilimanjaro ” by Ernest Hemingway and “ The Death of
Ivan Ilych ” by Leo Tolstoy are both first-class literary plants that both
merit equal congratulations. Hemingway & # 8217 ; s narrative is about a regretful, wasted writer
named Harry who is lying on an African field death of sphacelus. Ivan, the chief
character in Tolstoy & # 8217 ; s narrative, is deceasing of a incurable unwellness and reminiscing of
his life and grieving over everything he did non make right. Both narratives have
every bit effectual points of position told in 3rd individual narrative. “ The Death
of Ivan Ilych ” has more realistic struggles than does “ The Snows of
Kilimanjaro ” which has highly powerful symbols. Both Hemingway and
Tolstoy are successful in matching these three elements with assorted subjects to
do each of the narratives every bit gratifying. The point of position used in “ The
Death of Ivan Ilych ” and “ The Snows of Kilimanjaro ” is a 3rd
individual narrative, and has been used efficaciously in both narratives. Each of the
writers use a shifting signifier of narrative that expeditiously helps to picture both
Harry & # 8217 ; s and Ivan & # 8217 ; s state of affairs. In “ The Snows of Kilimanjaro, ” Ernest
Hemingway & # 8217 ; s narrative alterations from sing the twosome to inside Harry & # 8217 ; s mind
through a series of italicized flashbacks and since the two positions are
differentiated in the text the secret plan is comparatively easy to follow. The narrative
in “ The Death of Ivan Ilych ” is more complicated than “ The Snows
of Kilimanjaro. ” Tolstoy directs attending to Robbins & # 8211 ; 2 assorted
positions: from Ivan & # 8217 ; s mind looking out, from the point of position of other
characters, and from the outside focussing in on assorted characters. Hemingway
uses a narrative that is direct, most of which is duologue, and through this the
narrative unfolds: “ I & # 8217 ; ve been composing, ” he said. “ But I merely got
tired. ” “ Do you believe you will be able to kip? ” “ Pretty
certainly. Why Don & # 8217 ; t you turn in? ” “ I like to sit here with you. ”
“ Do you experience anything unusual? ” he asked her. “ No. Just a small
sleepy. ” “ I do, ” he said. ( Hemingway, 452 ) Tolstoy, on he other
manus, remarks throughout the narrative, construing each incidence: He reached
place and began to state his married woman about it. She listened, but in the center of his
account his girl came in with her chapeau on, ready to travel out with her female parent.
She sat down reluctantly to listen to this boring narrative, but could non stand it
long, and her female parent excessively did non hear him to the terminal. ( Tolstoy,156 ) Both points
of position have facets that simplify them, every bit good as facets that create
confusion. Hemingway efficaciously uses italicized subdivisions to divide Harry & # 8217 ; s
flashbacks from world while Tolstoy & # 8217 ; s narrative is non as easy to follow with
sing that there is no device to contrast the different positions.
Tolstoy & # 8217 ; s authorship is an reading of the happenings in Ivan & # 8217 ; s life where
as Hemingway & # 8217 ; s is more dialogue doing it more ambitious to construe.
Sing both narratives have complicated narrative with manners of authorship that
can be confounding every bit good as both utilizing different literary devices to assistance in
easing any confusion, the point of position in “ The Snows of Kilimanjaro ”
is no more effectual that in “ The decease of Ivan Ilych. ” The struggles
in “ The Snows of Kilimanjaro ” and in “ The Death of Ivan Ilych ”
are Robbins & # 8211 ; 3 highly similar and are both supported by a subject of coming to
footings with a otiose life. The nucleus of all struggles is the external discord
between both Harry and Ivan and the terminal unwellnesss that they conflict. Since
neither are in a place to get the better of these diseases, assorted internal battles
arise. Hemingway and Tolstoy both describe assorted failure and sorrow issues the
chief characters must analyze: Now he would ne’er compose the things that he had
saved to compose until he knew plenty to compose them good. Well, he would ne’er
fail at seeking to compose them either. Possibly you could ne’er compose them, and that
was why you put them off and delayed the starting. Well he would ne’er cognize,
now. ( Hemingway, 438 ) Harry & # 8217 ; s struggle concerns things he failed to finish
while Ivan & # 8217 ; s is about all that he had accomplished through methods that were non
morally right: “ ? Yes, it was all non the right thing, & # 8217 ; he said to
himself, ? but that & # 8217 ; s n
o affair. It can be done. But what is the right
thing? & # 8217 ; ” ( Tolstoy,180 ) . Tolstoy besides explores an facet of denial within
Ivan doing the usage of struggle more effectual than that used in “ The Snows
of Kilimanjaro. ” “ The hurting did non turn less, but Ivan Ilych made
attempts to coerce himself to believe that he was better ” ( Tolstoy, 156 ) . The
denial Ivan experiences about his decease is more realistic than Harry & # 8217 ; s
credence of it. “ ? I & # 8217 ; m traveling to decease tonight, & # 8217 ; he said. ? I don & # 8217 ; Ts need
my strength up & # 8217 ; ” ( Hemingway,447 ) . Ivan struggles with decease and hurting, and
efforts to conflict it off after recognizing that he has non lived his life as he
should of. Harry, on the other manus, is asleep ; he feels no hurting and realizes he
is deceasing but he does non fight with decease, he accepts it. This makes the
narrative really fabricated and creates no poignancy for Harry. They each sorrow non
populating to their possible and Ivan & # 8217 ; s hurting and agony creates a great trade of
understanding for him. Although the struggles and usage of subject are closely Robbins –
4 related in both narratives, Tolstoy creates pathos towards Ivan through a more
realistic state of affairs rendering the struggles in “ The Death of Ivan Ilych ”
better than those in “ The Snows of Kilimanjaro. ” The symbols in
“ The Snows of Kilimanjaro ” are stronger and more meaningful that those
in “ The Death of Ivan Ilych. ” The dominant symbols in both narratives
represent decease ; Hemingway uses a hyaena and Tolstoy a black poke: “ For
three whole yearss, during which clip did non be for him, he struggled in that
black poke into which he was being thrust & # 8230 ; ” ( Tolstoy,180 ) . Both are
first-class symbols, when the hyaena appears so does the haste of decease and the pouch
represents the darkness of decease. “ The Snows of Kilimanjaro ” besides uses
the hyaena to typify Harry because he posses all the qualities of the hyaena,
he is a lazy scavenger that takes the easy route in life. He lives by rich adult females
and has been excessively lazy to follow his dream of being a author: He had destroyed
his endowment by non utilizing it, by treacheries of himself and what he believed in, by
Drinking so much that he blunted the border of his perceptual experiences, by indolence, by
sloth and by snobbism, by pride and by bias, by hook and by criminal.
( Hemingway,442 ) This symbol besides demonstrates a subject in the narrative of life
without passion. Hemingway uses the leopard in the quip at the beginning of
the narrative to stand for what Harry would wish to be, person with strength,
bravery and passion. The leopard is found at the top of the mountain and why it
went there is a enigma. In “ The Snows of Kilimanjaro ” the mountain
represents the hereafter, a topographic point of inspiration that Harry can travel to accomplish
the features of the leopard. In “ The Death of Ivan Ilych ” the
storyteller states that “ In topographic point of decease there was visible radiation ” ( Tolstoy,
181 ) . Tolstoy uses the visible radiation to stand for Ivan & # 8217 ; s hereafter. There is besides
symbolism in the manner Robbins & # 8211 ; 5 both Harry and Ivan dice. Ivan easy slices and
withers off to nil in the same manner his matrimony, household and calling did and
Harry & # 8217 ; s leg is decomposing off merely as his life as a author decayed due to his
indolence. The hyaena, leopard, mountain and putrefaction are really strong symbols
particularly since their significance can account for more than one thing.
Tolstoy & # 8217 ; s symbols are effectual but merely have individual representations. The
symbols used in “ The Snows of Kilimanjaro ” are more effectual than
those in the “ The Death of Ivan Ilych. ” because of their legion
portraitures. “ The Snows of Kilimanjaro ” and “ The Death of Ivan
Ilych ” are every bit first-class plants of art. The point of position in both
narratives is somewhat confounding but each writer uses an original literary device
to simplify the narrative. “ The Death of Ivan Ilych ” uses struggles that
are more realistic and that create poignancy for the chief character, doing Tolstoy
more effectual than Hemingway in this facet. Both narratives use symbols that are
strong and really meaningful but Hemingway & # 8217 ; s usage of them is more effectual in
“ The Snows of Kilimanjaro ” because they are multi representative.
Sing these factors, and that both Hemingway and Tolstoy efficaciously weave
subjects of otiose lives and deficiency of passion into their secret plans, neither narrative is
better than the other.
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