All three works approach death from different perspectives. The Death of Ivan Ilych highlights the reality of death as part of the human experience and the fears that incapacitate those who face it. The novel also suggests that death can be a catalyst for spiritual transformation. On the other hand, Hedda Gabler presents suicide as a noble action. The last piece, Death and the King's Horseman, views death/suicide as a form of atonement.
In The Death of Ivan Ilych, Ivan is devastated when he realizes that he is dying. He thinks it "impossible that all men have been doomed to suffer this awful horror." He tries to approach the idea of his death philosophically, but he fails miserably in his efforts. He takes to blaming God for deserting him and punishing him with a painful death.
Ivan's evolving attitude towards his impending death closely mirror Elisabeth Kübler Ross' Five Stages of Grief; Ivan progresses from denial to anger to final acceptance of his fate. Hidden deep within Ivan is his fear of professional and social irrelevance. The approach of death weakens him, both physically and mentally, and he knows that it's only a matter of time before death claims him. Yet, before he dies, Ivan realizes how selfishly he has lived his life; the whole of his existence has been focused on his comforts, joys, and irritations. When he realizes this, Ivan is able to show kindness to his family in his last moments. He then dies peacefully. So, we can say that the novel also suggests that impending death can be a catalyst for spiritual growth.
Hedda Gabler deals with the subject of death a little differently. In the novel, suicide is viewed as a noble action, even a perverse form of artistic expression. Murder by proxy is also presented as a form of vengeance. Ejlert Lövborg is Jurgen (George) Tesman's professional rival. He is devastated when he loses the manuscript to his new story; what he doesn't realize is that his manuscript has been retrieved by Jurgen. Due to a series of missteps on Jurgen's part, however, the manuscript falls into the hands of his manipulative wife, Hedda. Here, it's important to note that Hedda once indulged in a brief romantic liaison with Lovborg before unceremoniously jilting him.
Lovborg eventually becomes romantically involved with a married woman, Mrs. Elvsted. Together, they collaborate on his newest book. When he confesses to Mrs. Elvsted that the manuscript has been destroyed, the latter is devastated and accuses him of "child-murder" (the "child" being their book). Meanwhile, Hedda perversely suggests that the devastated Lovborg kill himself in a "beautiful" way, and she gives him a pistol to do just that.
Here, Hedda is committing murder by proxy; she goads the unstable Lovborg to a tragic end, thus satisfying her perverse, narcissistic nature. At the same time, Lovborg's death can be seen as a catalyst for her own suicide. At the end of the novel, Hedda shoots herself in the temple. Hedda's view of death is that it is a noble answer to emotional pain, whether hers or someone else's. Ultimately, as she suggests to Lovborg, suicide is the final human attempt to retain a semblance of control and autonomy over one's fate.
Finally, in the last book, Death and the King's Horseman, suicide/death is viewed as a form of atonement. In the story, Olunde still retains his faith in the traditions of his native culture, despite being educated in the west. So, when Elesin (Olunde's father) fails to fulfill the expectations of the public (through his death), Olunde takes his place. As the deceased king's chief lieutenant, Elesin was supposed to have accompanied his monarch to the after-world through his own ritualized death. However, Elesin is arrested by Pilkings, the British officer, before he can complete the death ritual.
To salvage his father's reputation, Olunde takes Elesin's place. When Elesin realizes what Olunde has done, he commits suicide. Both Olunde and Elesin's deaths can be seen as acts of atonement: Olunde, to atone for his father's dereliction of duty and Elesin, to atone for the premature death of his son and his failure in fulfilling the traditions of his culture.
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