The Death of Ivan Ilyich

The brilliance of this story is in how a normal bureaucrat a judge in this case has a small accident that winds up gradually taking his life. As he deals with this incident with hope at first and then despair he comes to terms with his family his life and the mediocrities that we all suffer with except for the exceptional few. This story rings a particularly poignant note for those in early middle age facing the next part of their lives. This story is considered Tolstoy''s best.