# Eugène Irténev — The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories character guide

> Eugène Irténev in The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Eugène, old Irténev

**First appearance:** 0060-the-devil

## Snapshot

A young landowner whose university ideals of self-improvement collapse into a raw, consuming passion for a married peasant woman on his estate.

## Who they are

Eugène Irténev arrives in the countryside full of plans for farming reforms and moral seriousness, but the boredom of rural life and the sight of a beautiful peasant woman named Stepanida undo him. He oscillates between shame, desire, and self-justification, unable to either possess her openly or leave her alone. His struggle exposes how thin the layer of civilization is when a man is left alone with his appetites.

## In the story

### [The Devil](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/leo_tolstoy_short_fiction_se/chapters/the-devil)

The protagonist; a landowner tormented by desire, rationalizes an affair with a peasant woman, leading to inner conflict and loss of self-control.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/leo_tolstoy_short_fiction_se/characters/eugene_irtenev
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/leo_tolstoy_short_fiction_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/leo_tolstoy_short_fiction_se/characters