The plot shifts back in time and begins an overview of Ivan Ilyich’s simple “and therefore most terrible” life (255). In youth, he goes through life checking the social boxes necessary to progress continuously in his education and career. He meets his future wife, Praskovya Fedorovna Mikhel, and marries her because she’s a fine enough match, is not bad looking, and comes from a family with some property. The marriage is unremarkable until Praskovya Fedorovna becomes pregnant with their first child. She grows resentful of her husband, and Ivan Ilyich turns his attention to his career.

Ivan Ilyich and Praskovya Fedorovna have several children, three of whom die. The relationship between Ivan Ilyich and Praskovya Fedorovna becomes “still more unpleasant” as their family life progresses (261). Still, Ivan Ilyich finds satisfaction in his work. He moves through the ranks of his profession and is promoted from Assistant Public Prosecutor to Public Prosecutor. The new title requires another location transfer, this time to a province with a higher cost of living, stretching the family’s finances despite a salary increase.

As he continues his upward professional trajectory, Ivan Ilyich spends less time with his increasingly unhappy wife and growing family. He assumes that

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