NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr Isaevich. One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich, New York Press, 1963. The novel, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is intentionally not sensational. It is an expose of Stalinist labor camps, and of the Soviet system generally, but it accomplishes this through understatement and indirection.
This work, however, is much more than a political indictment. Its power derives from its depiction of a man retaining his humanity under inhumane conditions. Shukhov is not a heroic figure, but he wins our admiration for his cleverness, his endurance, and his simple integrity. This novel also shows a nice cross section of how soviet life was. It shows how citizens in Russia really had no freedom to speak thier mind. Solzhenitsyn who had to endure the harsh reality of labor camps himself, gives a good recount of the harsh brutal ness of just one of the soviets controlling machines.
Through Shukhov, Solzhenitsyn suggests that there are certain qualities which must be retained no matter what the circumstances if we are to maintain our humanity. Primary among these is self-respect. Shukhov works constantly to increase his odds of survival, but there are definite things, lying and begging among them, which he will not do. The novel concentrates on one man, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, as he attempts to survive another day in a Soviet concentration camp, or gulag, with dignity and humanity. The conditions of the camp are harsh, reflecting a world that has no tolerance for independence.
Camp prisoners rely almost totally on each other's productivity and altruism, even for the most basic human need, food. The dehumanizing atmosphere of the gulag ironically forces prisoners to discover means to retain their individuality while conforming to the stringent rules, spoken and unspoken, of the camp. The characters in Ivan Denisovich bring a liveliness to the novel. The narrator Ivan Denisovich is both insightful and humorous, and we can appreciate the slight irreverence with which he views his situation.
The clever way he manages to keep his humanity intact despite his imprisonment is kept in perspective through the other prisoners' attempts at survival. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. Solzhenitsyn provides his readers with a seemingly hopeless situation, and then gives them characters who struggle fiercely to maintain their individuality. Despite the horrible conditions in the gulag, Shukhov makes the most of every day through hard work and ingenuity. His day begins with reveille, which he never oversleeps. Shukhov spends the ninety minutes of the day which are totally his doing services for others, such as laying out other prisoner's shoes for them.
He is often rewarded with extra food for these services. At breakfast Shukhov is glad there are no liens at the mess hall, and that Fetiukov, the prisoner with the lowest position in the squad, had kept his breakfast for him. A day of work without breakfast would have been almost too hard to endure. At the work site the squad is assigned the job of setting cement blocks on the second-story walls of a building. Shukhov is a mason, so while the others get their tools from the camp's collection, Shukhov retrieves "his"-the best one which he has stolen from the collection-from a hiding place inside a brick. To help warm the work site, Shukhov and Kings retrieve a bolt of stolen roofing felt from under some flooring planks to cover the windows for insulation.
At the worksite, the squad falls into the routine of spirit and enthusiasm, for the better their work is, the better their food rations will be. Shukhov aides his squad by recounting the number of bowls the squad has received and informing the cook of his "mistake. " The cook gives Shukhov some extra portions. Shukhov brings Tsezar his bowl of food and his portion of bread. he is amazed by the warmth in Tsezar's office. Outside Tsezar's office, Shukhov finds a bit of a hacksaw in the snow and pockets it as a tool for later. The squad's mood is bright when Shukhov returns; Turn was able to write the work report for the previous day even though no work was actually done.
At the end of the day, the 104 th is the first squad to make it to the checking lines, which means they will be the first to eat at dinner. Shukhov waits in line to be searched, offering to stand in the parcel line for Tsezar after supper. Shukhov hopes that Tsezar will reward him for doing this by giving him some of the parcel. After the recounts, Shukhov heads to the parcels office for Tsezar. Shukhov asks if he can bring Tsezar his dinner. Tsezar refuses, telling Shukhov that he may have it.
Shukhov checks his bunk to reassure himself that the guards did not find his stash of bread, then goes to the mess hall. Shukhov can be the one to serve his squad. Shukhov watches the cook carefully as he serves the bowls, looking for the bowls of soup that are the least watery. Shukhov keeps the bowls with the thickest stew nearest to him. They are given bread according to the amount of work they have done, and Shukhov selects a crusty piece. Shukhov leaves the mess hall to buy tobacco form the Lett with money he receives from doing private jobs, then visits Tsezar to view his parcel and to deliver his bread.
Tsezar gives his bread to Shukhov, but offers none of his parcel to him. Shukhov returns to his bunk, plans to make a cobbler's knife from the hacksaw blade, and hides it. Buinovsky and Tsezar ask to borrow Shukhov's "ten days" (knife) to cut some sausage. They pay him by sharing some of the sausage. The squad is called out of the bunk for another count, and Shukhov is amazed at Tsezar for eating his parcel out in the open, when someone is likely to steal it while they are gone. Shukhov offers to guard the parcel for him by being one of the first to return to the barracks.
When they return, Shukhov places his boots near the stove and guards both the parcel and his boots. Tsezar thanks Shukhov, who returns to his bunk to prepare his bed for sleep. Just as most men have gotten warm, the squad is called out for a second count. Tsezar hands him some food as they move out, and Shukhov offers to hide his parcel for him, since everyone knows Shukhov never receives on. Back in his bunk, Shukhov considers that Aloysha never does favors that get paid back, and hands him a biscuit. Aloysha thanks Shukhov, believing that Shukhov has nothing.
Shukhov eats a bit of the sausage left from Tsezar's parcel and saves the rest for before roll call the next day. He sleeps, fully content. This short recap shows how one character at these awful work camps can keep the human spirit alive for another day. This book really shows the struggle that these poor souls have in dealing with everyday life.
The theme of solidarity runs thick through this book and is a lesson of life in the soviet times of the gulag Bibliography:
Free research essays on topics related to: life of ivan denisovich, human spirit, one day in the life, labor camps, work site
Research essay sample on One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich
