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Solzhenitsyn's One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich

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“We’ll survive. We’ll stick it out, God willing, till it’s over” (Solzhenitsyn 117). In Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, published in 1962, the continuous need for survival heavily existed in each of the prisoners that served time in the Gulags. Survival is an important aspect while living life in the Gulags. From the extremely cold climates to the low rations of mush, prisoners would do anything to stay alive. Yet, the men must make the decision of weather or not they will allow the camp to completely change them and their beliefs. Conflict is created between survival and the loss of morals. Solzhenitsyn uses indirect and direct characterization to establish the theme of morals, principles and the importance of faith to tell of the characters’ chance of Survival. …show more content…

Shukhov is a very independent man and believes that “easy money does not weigh anything and it doesn’t give you the good feeling you get when you really earn it” (48). His belief in independence and working hard to get things on his own gives him a higher chance of survival. Without this trait he would fall into the footsteps of his fellow prisoners and lack in the ability of survival. Shukhov heavily looked down upon men who did nothing to get want they wanted. He himself “never given or taken a bribe from anybody, and had not learned that in the camp either”(50). Shukhov has always kept his self-determination with him through out his lifetime. Which shows his morals and way of living has not been distorted by the negative influences in the camp. Solzhenitsyn creates him to show that humanity may change physically and emotionally but with strong thinking and believing a person’s morality will still be present no matter what the circumstance is. Shukkov is considered principled compare to the other prisoners around

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