A death in the family can really make you think about that person; good memories, bad memories, your relationship with them, etc. It can make you realize that you loved them more than you thought or that you actually didn't like them that much. When the death is long, drawn out, and agonizing, it gives you more time to realize these things, but has the potential to cast a harsh light on them and the situation. The person who is dying, meanwhile, has time for introspection as they go through the stages of grief associated with their death. In The Death of Ivan Ilych and The Metamorphosis, that's basically all that happens: a long, agonizing death, introspection as one dies, and a family that fights back. In these two stories, the people who die have very different attitudes towards their families, and the families' reactions are also different, but there are similarities. Ivan Ilych's relationship with his family was not the worst, but it certainly was not the best. I'm not sure it could be considered good, and I don't think Ivan Ilyich thought it was good either. At the beginning of their relationship, Ivan and his wife were cordial, but within a year they became less so. Their relationship remains difficult and contentious for much of the story, unless they are furnishing a house or something similar. His relationship with his daughter is a bit distant. When the injury occurs, his family seems irritated as he seriously reflects on his life and decisions. Ivan Ilych realizes that he has built his life on falsehoods, and so have everyone around him, but it is not something he expresses to them. He ends his life uttering words of mercy. So, for most of his life, Ivan Ilych was… the center of the paper… well, mostly Grete. The long suffering of Ivan Ilych and Gregor both catalyze change, but in different ways. Death and dying of a relative is always a huge test for the person, his family or both. It can be a kind of enlightenment caused directly by being consumed by one's own death, as in the case of Ivan Ilyich; it may alternatively be a subtle maturation resulting from the stress and care of a dying person, like Grete's. Many significant reactions occur only when death looms. Works Cited Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." Trans. Stanley Appelbaum The Metamorphosis and Other Stories. Ed. Stanley Appelbaum. New York: Dover Publucaitons, Inc., 1996. 11-52. Print.Tolstoy, lion. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich." Trans. Louise Maude The Kreutzer Sonata and other stories. Ed. Stanley Appelbaum. New York: Dover Publicaitions, Inc., 1993. 15-63. Press.