Billy Budd, Melville's Sailor and Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Illych are both well-known short stories. Melville's Billy Budd comes from the era of romanticism, while The Death of Ivan Illych comes later, in the era of realism. There are many similarities and differences between the two short stories. We already know that a big difference is that the two stories come from different time periods. What's great about these two stories is that Billy Budd's and Ivan Illych's both make biblical references. Billy is seen as a Christ figure who lives a good life, while Ivan lives a life full of sin and cares more about material objects rather than living for God. In Melville's Billy Budd, Sailor, Billy has a much better attitude than Ivan. Illych. Billy is seen as having a sense of purity and innocence almost as a child but still a handsome sailor. Billy takes life one day at a time and accepts everything that happens to him. The character of Billy is seen as living in this world, deprived of any opportunity to help others. Ivan, on the other hand, is self-centered and self-indulgent. Ivan describes his life as “the simplest and most ordinary, therefore his life was terrible (p. 1336). » We can already see that Ivan has a negative outlook on life and a bad attitude. Ivan has everything he could need or want, but he is still not satisfied with what God has given him. Once Ivan finds out he is sick, he fears he will make others feel sorry for him and ruin the lives of everyone around him. We know this because the text says: "Ivan's life and that of other people around him were poisoned and became more penetrated (1350)." On the other hand, Billy Budd is far from being egocentric. B...... middle of paper ...... by Ivan Illych, these are two great stories that show the similarities and differences between. We see in both stories how differently the two characters lived and looked at life. We see how Billy is seen and represented as a Christ figure while Ivan is an everyday born sinner. Over time, we see how Ivan transforms and becomes more of a Christian living for God, just like Billy Budd. The character of Billy represents what everyone should strive to be. Live more as God would have us do. Works Cited Tolstoy, Leo. “The Death of Ivan Illych”. Western Literature from the Norton Anthology. 8th ed. Flight. 2.New York: Norton &, 1984. 1330-368. Print. Western literature. Melville, Herman. “Billy Budd, sailor.” Western Literature from the Norton Anthology. 8th ed. Flight. 2.New York: Norton &, 1984. 931-985. Print. Western literature.