Transformations and Realizations Every Human

Transformations and Realizations

Every human being is born with an innate sense of self. We have an imaginary constructed image of how we appear to the world. Sometimes we match that image, and other times it is an image that we wish to live up to, but will never attain in actuality. This inner image of ourselves is what drives us in our daily quests and trials. The story, the Death of Ivan llyitch deals with this self-image and what happens when something happens to destroy it. The Metamorphosis also deals with the theme of transformation and self-worth. The following will support the thesis that both of the main characters experience growth through their transitions and realizations about their true self.

Ivan in Death of Ivan llyitch builds his life around his idealized image of self. Born into an average family, Ivan sees himself as an aristocrat and becomes attracted to an aristocratic life. He takes several measures to help him achieve this image for himself by attending law school and rising through the ranks to become judge. He is completely absorbed in keeping up appearances. He surrounds himself with wealth. He marries a wife, simply because it suited his self imposed image. Ivan is a shallow and materialistic character who only concerns himself with outer appearances.

When Ivan becomes ill and realizes that he will die, he begins to realize that all of the wealth and finery is a facade. He realizes that his sense of security is false and that he has missed out on the things that are important in life. The character of Gerasim acts as a tool for comparison. Gerasim is concerned with the correctness of his inner self and is genuinely concerned for others. He shows Ivan compassion. Ivan is torn from his world of comfort and must confront his real self-image. Ivan felt that he was living a correct life by living up to the outer image that was expected for a person of his status. However, in the end, he finds that he has not lived his life correctly at all. He is no longer comfortable with who is and has been during his lifetime.

Ivan spends his entire life mistaking his physical life for his spiritual life. As he moves beyond the physical plane, he begins to experience true joy. The key theme in this work is that a person must live their physical life in a way that reflects their spiritual life. In the end, Ivan experiences true joy, even though he has been stripped of all of the pleasures that defined his life for so many years. This is where the Metamorphosis differs from the Death of Ivan Llyitch. In the end, of this story the main character realizes that his life of meaning is false. In this case the Gregor, the main character, sees himself as the family breadwinner. He is a provider and takes up where his father left off. He is self-sacrificing and has the belief that he is a valuable member of the family. However, when his physical appearance is altered and is transformed into a giant cockroach, he finds that his family is unable to provide the same love that they provided when he was a man.

In the Metamorphosis, it is the image of the main character's family and those around him that is transformed. However, in the Death of Ivan Llyitch it is the main characters image of himself that is transformed. Gregor is the same person on the inside in his cockroach form that he was when he was a salesman. However, his family fails to see him the same. Gregor was happy, but becomes depressed as his family isolates themselves from him more and more. In the Death of Ivan Llyitch the main character moved from depression to joy. The characters in these novels occupy different ends of the emotional spectrum. Their emotional spectrum moves in the opposite direction.

The emotional transformation of the two main characters is opposite as well. Ivan's is an inner transformation. His physical world changes little, it is his emotional world and inner sense of self that changes. Gregor stays relatively the same, but those around him change. This is an important contrast between these two stories. It demonstrates that we have an influence on the world around us, and it also shows that the world around us has an effect on our inner selves as well. Gregor is changed by the actions of the outer world on him. Ivan is transformed from the inside out.

One of the key similarities between these two stories is that both characters find that their old image of themselves is incorrect. Ivan finds that the way he saw himself was incorrect. Gregor finds that his self-image is accurate. However, his image of how others view him is changed. Gregor thought that he was an important part of the family and that they appreciated his contributions. However, he found that when he became a burden to them and an embarrassment, they abandoned him. Their love for them was not unconditional, but was dependent on what he contributed to the family and gave them.