Alyosha's One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich

Viktor E. Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who also had survived the Holocaust, writes “When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves” (BrainyQuote). Frankl survived genocide against his own people and still chose to have a positive outlook on it because he understands that if he did not, he would continually live an unhappy, upset life. Like Frankl, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, the main character in One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, contains a similar outlook to that of Frankl. The novel takes place during Soviet Russia in a gulag in Siberia, or otherwise known as a labor work camp. The whole book is about only one day that Shukhov lives; from 5 in the morning to 10 at night and all that happens in between. In this labor camp, not only are the weather conditions very cold, making it difficult to work in such circumstances, but also the workers are punished and harshly treated if they do not obey the guards. When placed in this environment, it is easy to be discouraged and miserable, but instead of facing the negatives of his situation, Shukhov remains affirmative in his thoughts – which are most important in order to survive not only physically, but also mentally. This stoicism portrayed in the narrative can also be found in Epictetus’s work, The Handbook. In this text, Epictetus discusses how he believes people can live a happy life, despite the hard conditions they are put through

Since the entire book takes place through the span of just one day, it is hard to see the bigger picture. On the other hand, life in the Gulag was monotonous, a prevalent theme, suggesting that if you know one day, you know all the days. Holding on to morals and humanity is different for Gulag prisoners than it is for concentration camp victims because people in Gulag have time sentences. They have a light at the end of the tunnel, a reason to maintain their humanity. For inhabitants of concentration camps, the only end in sight was death; they survived off of instincts, trying to stay alive out of default. So despite living in “dog eat dog” conditions, the people of the Gulag held on to loose morals, had a type of code of honor. When narrating about thieving, Ivan said, “Easy money had no weight: you didn't feel you'd earned it.” Another example of the Gulag’s retained humanity was reimbursement. There are several times when Ivan did something for Tsezar because it was generally assumed that favors are repaid. Tsezar paid Ivan back with food. When their bunk room had the nightly roll-call, Ivan hid and protected Tsezar’s food for him. In return, “Tsezar’s hand reached up to place two biscuits, two lumps of sugar, and one round chunk of sausage on Shukhov’s [Ivan’s] bed.” This self-sustaining, innate, code of honor that existed between some people was one example of morality that survives due to being an intrinsic component of human

On a day to day bases, men and women in prison or jail are dehumanized and terrorized by their superiors or even their inmates in the Criminal Justice System. The inmates that are in this situation are usually physically, emotionally, and mentally abused, they are often deprived of meals and are belittled. The inmates in this situation have no other choice but adapt to their best ability of the harsh situation they are founded in or be broken and taken over by the system they are forced to be a part of. Is it true that a person in difficult situations needs to be indifferent of their past because being nostalgic can only hurt them? Or does the harsh situation they become a custom to make it easier to forget their past life?. Solzhenitsyn uses Shukhov’s indifferent attitude towards his past to illustrate that a person cannot be nostalgic because it can lead to one’s self-destruction.

In One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn shows how Soviet prisoners, known as Zeks, are treated while being in the gulag for one day through the eyes of the protagonist and omniscient narrator named Ivan Denisovich Shukhov. Despite being in an environment such as the Soviet Union, where there is harsh tundra and not much food to eat, Shukhov tries to make good use of what he has received while trying to keep himself alive. The purpose of Solzhenitsyn’s portrayal of food is to show its overall significance and that it is used as a means of trade and survival. Over time, the power of food reveals its significance to the Zeks and especially to Shukhov and food allows both groups understanding towards the necessity of food for their vitality and well-being additionally.

    In the face of Morrie's overwhelming compassion and tenderness, Ivan Ilych presents an opposite lifestyle. After a pleasantly carefree childhood he turned towards ambition and pursued an ever-larger salary and an ever-increasing social rank. Ivan lived without values and without attachments, easily moving between cities and jobs. He cared little for the great inconvenience of his family, and even less for his wife: "he hate[d] her with his whole soul" (Ivn, 139). Commitment was a prison to be avoided at all costs, a detriment to his proper and official existence. Genuine love touched Ivan only rarely and certainly not during the dying moments when he needed it the most.

He supplies Shukhov with different forms of knowledge and understanding. The gulags are prone to negativity and contrary thinking, but Alyosha assists Ivan with seeing glimpses of faith when going through harsh circumstances. Towards the end of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Alyosha states how he goes through every rugged day as “You should rejoice that you’re in prison. Here you have time to think about your soul” (Solzhenitsyn, 136). Alyosha’s outlook on being in the gulag has a positive impact on Ivan. When a human trusts another being, the fact of building trust with positivity is constantly evident. Alyosha always tries to stay happy and cheerful. The effects of Alyosha’s actions plays a big role in Ivan’s happiness. The narrator states how honesty was apparent in Alyosha as “Alyosha was speaking the truth. His voice and his eyes left no doubt that he was happy in prison” (Solzhenitsyn, 136). Trust requires the use of honesty and Alyosha shows it when he speaks. Ivan was not hesitant to trust Alyosha because of his

Throughout the novel, Dmitry pushes the question of “what is permitted” by doing things from taking advantage of women, to attacking his own father in the hope that he might be punished. During one of his drunken talks with Alyosha, Dmitry talks about a social event and mentions that “I started

There is one more that needs to be mentioned and that is at the home of Snegiryov where there are three documented visits. In the first visit Alyosha makes, it is to try and mend fences that were broken by Mitya and the fight in the tavern. During this visit, Alyosha also brings financial support from Katya for the family and all the bills that they are accruing. In the second documented visit it is learned that the school boys and he visit the bedside of Ilyusha every day. In this visit, he gives fraternal correction to Kolya and engages the young man in a discussion about faith, God, and life. Alyosha also engages in the ministry of presence by just being with the family through this tough time. He does not say much to the family, but by him being there day in and day out the family is comforted knowing that they are not alone. Alyosha knows that we someone feels alone, they become weakened, and can easily lose faith and hope so he brings others. He brings the children to lift the spirits in the house, to give Ilyusha people to talk to, to distract the family, for a time, of the difficulties that they are experiencing, and to bring joy into the house. On the third visit, Alyosha comes to bury dead and comfort the morning. He comes to give final respect to Ilyusha and to again bring peace and healing to the family and

Tolstoy uses characters to show varying degrees of manipulation. Today’s society also displays many instances of manipulation, primarily in entertainment.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich concentrates on one man, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, as he lives through one day in a Soviet gulag. The conditions of the camp are harsh, illustrating a world that has no tolerance for independence. Camp prisoners depend almost totally on each other's productivity and altruism, even for the most basic human needs. The dehumanising atmosphere of the gulag ironically forces prisoners to discover means to retain their individuality while conforming to the harsh rules, spoken and unspoken, of the camp. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. Solzhenitsyn provides his

In fact, when Alyosha asks Ivan a question, Ivan dismisses the question and suggests Alyosha focuses on what the Inquisitor is saying, not on the insignificant detail. For instance, this conversation between Ivan and Alyosha illustrates that point, “I don’t quite understand what this is Ivan…is it boundless fantasy or some mistake on the old man’s part, some impossible qui pro quo?…Ivan laughed…but isn’t it all the same to me whether it’s qui pro quo or boundless fantasy? The only thing is that the old man needs to speak out, as say aloud all that he has been silent about for ninety years.”

Since Alyosha is the “hero” of the story, as Dosteovsky states a couple of times throughout the novel, Ivan is one of the best examples of free will in the novel. He is the rationalist in the novel and he sees the world much like we today see it. He uses reason and logic to make his choices as opposed to his father and brother Dmitri who make decisions based on their usually passionate feelings. For example, it is Ivan who first proposes how importance the existence of immorality is to humanity and what would happen if humanity as a whole were to stop believing in it. If that belief in immortality were to be extinguished, “not only love, but also any living power to continue the life of the world would at once dry up. Not only that, but then nothing would immoral any longer” (pg. 69). Ivan logically links man’s belief in his own eventual immortality with God to how man

Ivan, brother to Alyosha and Dmitri, also speaks to Alyosha on his beliefs in the existence of God. Ivan, being a scholar and intellectual of sorts, is by far the most skeptical and critical of the brothers in his assessment of the question. He claims initially that no natural law that made humans love each

“Nothing has ever been more insupportable for a man and a human society than freedom.” –The Grand Inquisitor” “Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” - Father Zosima. These two quotes voice the polarized philosophies that impregnate the book, The Brothers Karamazov. Ivan, the second of the three sons, and Zosima, the old monk, are huge commentators on the question, “Is the burden of free will to much for a human to bear?”

We will begin with an analysation of his family situation. Praskovya, his wife, had been a love constructed from the start of an economic and sociological expectation rather than that of a true courtship. The happiness therefore of the union was derived solely of a necessity to fulfill a desire on the part of others for a “success” of sorts, surely her desire as well. “Ivan Ilyich could have counted on a more illustrious match, but even this one was quite good. He had his salary, and her income, he hoped, would bring in an equal amount. (Tolstoy, 56)” Tolstoy goes on to make several remarks on the benevolent nature of the relationship between he and his wife. The arrival of his children creates no great marker in his life, and proves to be little more than a factor in his ever-lengthening retreat into his life of solitude and work.