Chapter 4 Summary

When first confronted with symptoms of his illness, Ivan's response is to assert that they are all in good health, that the weird taste in his mouth and the pain in his side mean nothing. However, as his pain worsens, Ivan becomes so irritable that his wife finally insists that he see a doctor.

Ivan recognizes in the doctor's professional air his own attitude toward an accused person in court. The doctor ignores the real question of whether Ivan's case is serious. Instead of the question of seriousness, the doctor focuses on whether the pain comes from the appendix or the kidney. When Ivan presses the doctor for an answer to his real question, the doctor states that he has already told Ivan what he considers proper. Ivan can only guess at the doctor's prognosis and he guesses that it is very bad...