I think this is the deepest story I've ever read. Tolstoy masterfully tells the story of the life, death, and suffering of Ivan Ilyich, and in the process forces his reader to inwardly reflect on their own life, death, and accomplishments. Tolstoy mainly draws a portrait of the empty life of Ivan Ilyich filled with relationships devoid of any real bond, and weaves this in with Ivan Ilyich's personal suffering and anguish as he reflects on the materialistic life he led. Tolstoy really challenges the reader to think about death, especially their own, and what their life will have meant to them once they are staring death in face. It's an incredibly powerful challenge. Why avoid the subject of death, skirt around the unpleasant issue, not talk about it with our closest family and friendsn feel uncomfortable at the very mention of it, when death is the most certain thing to exist in our lives? I think this is one story that I will really stick with me and makes me want to read a lot more Tolstoy.