Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy is one of the most important writers of all time. Among the many themes that Tolstoy dealt with, the theme of death stands out as one of the most important and interesting themes. The writer's life and psychological state greatly influenced his creativity. Tolstoy presents his views on life and death to readers through his works. Two works in which Tolstoy's point of view is clearly outlined are Anna Karenina and “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”. In the mentioned works, Tolstoy uses the motifs of death, which turn the depiction of death into art, and its mystery is unravelled to the reader step by step. The most important motifs used by Tolstoy include the motif of the candle/light and darkness, the meshok and the motif of the railway/iron. These are the motifs that are mentioned most often and in an ingenious way give hint to the reader what will happen. By analyzing the aforementioned motifs and the work as a whole, the reader is given the opportunity to enter Tolstoy's mind, understand his view of death, and form his own interpretation of the meaning of life and death.