One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich

A detailed Summary of One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich

Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr Isaevich. One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich, New YorkPress, 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. Shukov 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 brutalness of just one of the soviet's controlling machines.

Through Shukov, 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. Shukov works constantly to increase his odds of survival, but there are definite things, lying and begging among them

At the end of the day, the 104th 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.

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

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.

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 ha

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Approximate Word count = 1268
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History