Analysis Of Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn, A Russian Author With...

Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn, a Russian author with personal experience of labor camp conditions, relates the experiences of his fellow prisoners by showing the world that humanity can be maintained in the most degrading of places. Such a theme can be observed closely in his novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, first published in 1962. As the title suggests, the novel is about a day in the Gulag (prison) from dawn to dusk from Ivan’s perspective. The Gulag is designed to strip the Zeks of their individual identities and dignity. The zek’s names are taken from them and replaced by numbers: ‘S 854, â€Å"The Tartar read from the white stripe that had been stitched to the back of his black jacket,† (15). Then their personal belongings are taken†¦show more content†¦In the stance taken by Solzhenitsyn, Ivan maintains his dignity by resisting the idea of indulging himself with food. In the novel the author raises an important question about whether f ood is a necessity or valuable to humanity (dignity). When Ivan recalls a prisoner who talked about the types of Zeks who manage to live: â€Å"Those who lick other men s leftovers, those who count on the doctors to pull them through, and those who squeal on their buddies,† (8), he says, do not survive. Though Ivan knows that the prisoners do survive at the cost of their own humanity, he respects and agrees with most of Kuziomin s statement: â€Å"You’re sure to be given something to eat there, though there were plenty of others at that game, more than plenty- and, what’s worse, if you found a bowl with something left in it you could hardly resist licking it out,† (7). For Ivan, avoiding the mess hall in the morning or after the meal was important, as he might be tempted into leaving his dignity for a little amount of food. This is a significant step towards conserving his morality and surviving his sentence. In Solzhenitsyn perspective, keeping away fro m the food represents the idea of control over one’s body. This is highly significant because living in the Gulag, where the authority treats zeks in the most dehumanizing of ways, one needs to be able to command themselves, controls their desires to stay intact their dignity.