# Three Parables explained — The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories

> Chapter companion for The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy.

## What happens

The chapter presents three parables critiquing contemporary society's adherence to harmful traditions and falsehoods. The first parable likens the spread of a weed to the persistence of a flawed doctrine (nonresistance to evil), which people continue to 'mow' (follow superficially) instead of 'pulling up by the roots' (truly understanding and applying it). The second parable compares adulterated food in the marketplace to the counterfeit and harmful art and science of the day, which the narrator, like an honest housekeeper, tries to expose, only to be attacked by the merchants (intellectuals). The third parable describes travelers lost in a bog, arguing over whether to press on blindly, scatter in all directions, or pause to deliberate, with the lone voice advocating for reason being ridiculed by the panicked majority.

## Themes in this chapter

### Moral Philosophy and Virtue

The parables are direct allegories for the pursuit of truth and moral clarity versus societal hypocrisy, false doctrine, and intellectual deception.

### Hypocrisy and Social Pretense

The tradesmen and the lost travelers represent institutions and groups that defend corrupt or misguided practices through tradition, fear, and attacking truth-tellers.

## Key lines

> the tenants of the meadow did nothing of the sort; but they took exception to this man’s recollections and began to abuse him.

Instead of considering the advice, the people attacked the messenger.

_Illustrates the rejection of truth when it challenges established, flawed traditions._

> I discovered that a large part of this food was not genuine... then I was hooted at and abused.

When I exposed the falseness of contemporary art and science, I was ridiculed.

_The narrator aligns himself with the honest housekeeper, facing scorn for criticizing intellectual 'adulteration'._

> this opinion was met with universal indignation, with reproaches, and with the ridicule of those of both parties.

The sensible suggestion to pause and think was rejected with anger and mockery by all.

_Highlights how panic and activity are preferred over calm, rational deliberation, even when lost._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leo_tolstoy_short_fiction_se/chapters/three-parables
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leo_tolstoy_short_fiction_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leo_tolstoy_short_fiction_se/chapters