Character Analysis: One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich
Intro. To Religion
10 November, 2004
Modes of Existence When encountered with various experiences in life, a person is given the choice of how he or she will go about interpreting the experiences. Such interpretations are directly related to that individual's perception of life and its meaning, his or her mode of existence. This mode of existence provides the person with a reason to live, and, above all, dictates his or way of living within the world. Aesthetic existence and ethical existence are two such modes of existence. Although each of these provides the individual with some way of conducting his or herself in the world, neither provides the best interpretation of worldly experience, nor the best way of living. The aesthetic …show more content…
Shukhov is a prisoner at a Soviet forced labor camp. While there, he witnesses horrendous cruelties and injustices. However, although he struggles at times, Shukhov remains ethical; he remains decent. When being forced to build the brick wall of a power plant with his fellow prisoners, Shukhov does his best work. To Shukhov, the work is a reflection of his decency and worth as a human being. "But Shukhov never made a mistake. His bricks were always right in line. If one of them was broken or had a fault, Shukhov spotted it right off the bat and found the place on the wall where it would fit" (Solzhenitsyn, 111). Also, when it comes time for the prisoners to pick up the packages that they have received from home, Shukhov knows that there will not be a package for him. "Back in the Ust-Izhma days Shukhov had gotten packages a couple of times. But he wrote to his wife and told her not to send any more because there wasn't much left by the time it reached him Though it was easier for Shukhov to feed his whole family back home than it was just to keep himself alive in the camp, he knew the price they paid for these packages and he knew he couldn't go on taking the bread out of their mouth for ten years. So he'd rather do without" (Solzhenitsyn, 154). Shukhov values the lives of others over his own life. He would rather die …show more content…
Three of these crucial aspects are: human purpose, death, and
10 November, 2004
Modes of Existence When encountered with various experiences in life, a person is given the choice of how he or she will go about interpreting the experiences. Such interpretations are directly related to that individual's perception of life and its meaning, his or her mode of existence. This mode of existence provides the person with a reason to live, and, above all, dictates his or way of living within the world. Aesthetic existence and ethical existence are two such modes of existence. Although each of these provides the individual with some way of conducting his or herself in the world, neither provides the best interpretation of worldly experience, nor the best way of living. The aesthetic …show more content…
Shukhov is a prisoner at a Soviet forced labor camp. While there, he witnesses horrendous cruelties and injustices. However, although he struggles at times, Shukhov remains ethical; he remains decent. When being forced to build the brick wall of a power plant with his fellow prisoners, Shukhov does his best work. To Shukhov, the work is a reflection of his decency and worth as a human being. "But Shukhov never made a mistake. His bricks were always right in line. If one of them was broken or had a fault, Shukhov spotted it right off the bat and found the place on the wall where it would fit" (Solzhenitsyn, 111). Also, when it comes time for the prisoners to pick up the packages that they have received from home, Shukhov knows that there will not be a package for him. "Back in the Ust-Izhma days Shukhov had gotten packages a couple of times. But he wrote to his wife and told her not to send any more because there wasn't much left by the time it reached him Though it was easier for Shukhov to feed his whole family back home than it was just to keep himself alive in the camp, he knew the price they paid for these packages and he knew he couldn't go on taking the bread out of their mouth for ten years. So he'd rather do without" (Solzhenitsyn, 154). Shukhov values the lives of others over his own life. He would rather die …show more content…
Three of these crucial aspects are: human purpose, death, and