Mortally injured after a fall, Ivan Ilyich questions the fairness of his pain and suffering-if pain can strike a man such as himself, who has lived a just life, then his pending death can only be arbitrary. It is only through the deathbed ministrations of his servant, Gerasim, that Ivan embraces the idea of an authentic life in which compassion is valued above self-interest, and thereby frees himself from his fear of dying. Be it mystery, romance, drama, comedy, politics, or history, great liter