A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Map of Siberia

USSR under Stalin

Setting: Gulag, or work camp in Soviet Union located in Siberia

Stalin leader of USSR after Lenin’s deathPolitical prisoners—dissidents—sent to

work in these harsh conditions with hope would never leave

Author was imprisoned in a labor camp for allegedly making disparaging remarks about Stalin: released in 1953

Josef Stalin

Book’s success

Book published Nov 20, 1962Instant best sellerRepresented the suffering of the Russian

people under StalinCharacter serves in Red Army during

WW2, but instead of being decorated is sent to prison

This was the case for many returning soldiers & many Russians relate to him

Cold War

Written secretly during the “Cold War”◦This period was after WW2◦Both US & USSR stockpile nuclear weapons◦Espionage and paranoia rule as each nation

could destroy the other many times over◦McCarthy holds his “purge” of alleged

Communists in the entertainment and arts◦People build fall-out shelters◦Cuban Missile crisis in early 1960s will bring

nuclear weapons just outside of Florida

Solovki Siberian Labor Camp

Reason for its popularity

Published with approval of Khrushchev, leader of USSR after Stalin’s death in liberal magazine◦Novy Mir

Read it personally and purchased 5000 copies for the heads of the Communist Party

Even without his support would have been a sensation

Fit Khrushchev’s policy of attack against Stalin’s abuses

Follows form & style of “social protest” novel popular in Russia

USSR doesn’t recognize international copyright laws

Western publishers publish translations without author’s consent

Translations vary in quality due to thisLiterary merits are huge:

◦Common man accepting his situation without self-pity

◦Unity to time and place—one day in forced labor camp

All of this is secondary to importance of showing Stalin’s dark past

Author background

Solzhenitsyn will remain popular author while Khrushchev is in power but with change in leadership his writing will be censored again

Moves to Vermont with 2nd wife & familyReceives Noble Prize in Literature

◦Cancer Ward◦Gulag Archipelago

Returned to Russia with fall of USSR◦Considered the conscience of Russia

Illustration from book

Tone & Mood

Book is grim, but not hopelessDoesn’t focus on the concentration camp

itself except as it follows the main character Ivan Denisovich

Follows 1 man’s day and fight for survivalTone is matter of fact/accepting of

situationIllustrates the depth of cruelty and

depravity by not focusing on them

Dissident Andrei Sakharov

1943Nuclear Physicist

Human Rights Activist

Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1975

Kept under house arrest until fall of

USSR under Gorbachev

Man versus society

Ivan represents common manPrison is societyStruggles to survive physically &

psychologicallyPrison supplies basic needs: shelter, foodChoices are few: can survive or dieChoice to survive impacts his societyRepresents man’s ability to survive in the

face of a cruel society

Truth versus the lie

Ivan imprisoned for high treasonWas captured by Germans, but escapedSoviets believe lied about escape and is a

spy for the GermansRealized if told truth would be shotIf lies will go to prisonAs lies are piled upon one another; truth is

lostThis is what occurred under Stalin as people

became accomplices to lies to survive

Life versus death

Ivan chooses to live over telling the truthIs life worth this?What is the value of life and the value of

life Ivan is living?When is death a better choice?

Good versus Evil

Each choice Ivan makes is a moral one and his life depends upon his choices.

Commits himself to survival◦Takes job he doesn’t like mopping◦Would rather do brick laying though

Chooses who among the others will survive by receiving his bread or cigarette butt.

Decides always for the needy over the greedy

Individual vs. unjust law

Sophocles asked this in his play Antigone◦He claimed should it be flouted or followed?◦If flouted one must be courageous and

dedicated to a greater cause.Ivan will also have to answer this but in

the terms of how does an individual survive in an unjust system.◦Ivan’s answer is to survive

Characters

Alyoshka—Ivan’s bunkmate◦Known by his religion◦Represents the spiritual aspect of Russia that

survives despite the state imposed atheismBig Ivan

◦Tall, thin guard—most easygoing of themCaptain Buynovski

◦Liaison officer during WW2 on British ship◦Receives a thank-you letter from British and is

sentenced to 25 years hard labor◦Changes from die hard military man to clever

inmate◦Sentenced to 10 days in solitary for insubordination

Clubfoot◦Handicapped; uses disability to secure a good job◦Earns enough to pay for an assistant

Der◦Foreman at the construction site◦Treats his fellow prisoners badly, but Ivan and his

crew keep him in lineEstonians

◦Seem like brothers, but met in camp◦Tall, fair, & thin; sleep in same bed◦One brother fills Ivan’s request for tobacco

Fetyukov◦Scavenger; Ivan dislikes him◦Used to be in position of power but in prison is

beaten up◦Ivan ends up feeling sorry for him

Gopchik◦16 years old; enthusiastic and alert◦ Ivan lost his own son and feels fatherly towards him

Stepan Grigoryevich◦Loudmouth; know-it-all doctor◦Believes best cure for illness is work

Ivan Kilgas◦Latvian, former brick layer, receives 2 packages per month◦Speaks Russian like a native; jokes all the time◦Ivan gets along well with him

Senka Klevshin◦Buchenwald survivor, slightly deaf◦ Ivan respects him as a fellow survivor

Kuzyomin◦Former boss of Ivan’s ◦Tells them the law of jungle prevails here◦Don’t lick bowl clean; go to infirmary; or squeal on other

inmates

Caesar Markovich◦Cinematographer; art is his god◦Receives packages of food; shares with the others

Moldavian◦Falls asleep during the work day and fails to turn

up for the count.◦Taken to solitary confinement, rations are eight

ounces of bread a day and a hot meal every third day.

◦After ten days in solitary—a so weak that he would have a difficult time getting back on his feet again.

Panteleyev◦Comes up missing from work gang◦Squealer or sick?

Pavlov◦Asst gang boss; from W Ukraine◦Polite unlike the Soviets

Shkuropatenko◦Beanpole physique◦Prisoner paid to guard pre-fab panels against

prisoners pilfering themIvan Denisovich Shukhov

◦Main character◦40 years old; balding; missing half of his teeth◦Wants to survive, but maintains a strict

personal code: never take or accept bribe, betray others, or lick his bowl clean

◦Represents common Russian; inspiring survivor

Thin Tartar◦A guard, thin and hairless◦Threatens to send Ivan to solitary◦Relents and has him mop warders’ floor

Tyurin◦2nd sentence; gang boss does all he can to protect

his gang◦One man Ivan would never cheat; gang boss is

crucial to survivalNikolay Semyonovich Vdovushkin

◦Technically a medic, but writes poetry all day thanks to his patron, Dr. Grigoryevich

◦Represents the Russian love of poetryLieutenant Volkovoy

◦Much feared disciplinary officer, uses a whip◦Name comes from “wolf”

Y-81◦Old prisoner who has survived with his dignity◦Ivan’s hero

Format of novel◦Novella◦Shorter than a novel◦Presented like a long short story, no chapters

Socialist Realism◦Content more important than style◦Couldn’t criticize Soviet Union

Point of View◦Omniscient; with a narrator, but limited to

Ivan’s thoughts and feelings◦Other characters described externally only

Chekhovian technique◦"evoking a whole impression by means of a few

emotionally neutral" terms◦Cold is discussed through importance of footwear

Russian terms◦Zek: someone serving in a labor camp or

formerly served and still works there as has no where else to go

◦Kolkhozniks: people living on collective farms, kolkhoz is a collective farm

◦Kulaks displaced farmers who rejected living on them

The lasting legacy

Book remains a testament to the will to survive

Political repression continues in several parts of the world

Many people lack freedom of speech, choice, and basic human rights