Ivan Denisovich Hope

One’s desire of hope in perpetuity masks the underlying problems, causing one to become blind to the reality of the situation. This denial to comprehend the horrific realities soon took over the Russian inmate´s perception and became the epitome of the dreaded concentration camps. The novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn is a graphic and comprehensive description of one man’s struggle in the horrendous Stalinist camps. The novel highlights the unsettling relations presented in the labor camps which subjects the prisoners to cruel torture in just a single day. Solzhenitsyn shows how the idealized Russian government presented to the world by the contemporary communist regime was a complete deception. The reality

The false sense of hope distorts the inmate's perception of life, revealing that having a communist utopia is merely an illusion covering the flaws of the system.
In the novel, the prevalent moments of hope are undercut by the realization that for the inmates there is little purpose in their life. The relentless amount of abuse that occurred inside the camps disfigured their sense of hope. In the novel, Shukov notes that within the camp doors one’s “only hope was to work like hell” (Solzhenitsyn 3). Although the inmates have hope, their faith is hindered by the very nature of the camps, thus subjecting them to relentless abuse. Pavel’s article contributes to the idea that although the inmates have hope, their faith is obstructed by the very nature of the camps which subjects them to cruel labor. Pavel acknowledges that “life reduced to fundamentals offers to man an intense satisfaction, the primal joy issuing from the successful fight against adverse conditions” (Kovaly 2). The inmates can

These flaws include the lack of human rights and the deprivation of individuality. In Kovaly’s article Problems of Anti-Humanism and Humanism in the Life and Work of Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, he explains how “the number of people who lost their lives, died or were killed in prison camps during the Stalinist era is estimated at around 20 million. The number of people who suffered there can hardly even be guessed” (Kovaly 1). Solzhenitsyn is striking at the cruelty that dominates the communist regime which lays the bare human nature reducing humanity to their biological core. In his article, De Jong criticizes the inhuman treatment dominating the totalitarian Soviet regime. He emphasizes the lack of identity that is put forth by communism which is displayed when the prisoners are never addressed by their name, but through worn-out number stuck on their clothes. This indicates the decadence of individual qualities put forth by communism. Their lack of individuality sparks the very nature of communism. De Jong further explains that under the communist regime one is stripped of their basic human rights. This is apparent when Shukov remarks "When you're cold, don't expect sympathy from someone who's warm." (Solzhenitsyn 18). Shukhov’s comments contain an element of truth, but “it is equally unnatural for man in his sinful condition to act in a loving and considerate manner” (De Jong 21). This supports