In "The Death of Ivan Ilyich," Tolstoy employs his characters to draw out the difference between the artificial and the authentic life. On the one hand, Tolstoy creates the characters that surrounded Ivan's previous life. These people include Ivan's family, friends and acquaintances. These people are shown to be vain, fake and superficial. They represent the artificial life that Ivan now despises. On the other hand, Tolstoy creates the character of Gerasim. Although he does not have as much money, Gerasim represents the authentic life, as he values the things in life that truly make people happy.