Analysis Of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich

Alexander Solzhenitsyn lived in the USSR regime, and fought in World War II. In 1945, however, he was arrested due to some letters he had written to a friend. As Ivan mentions on the book, these are checked, and he had criticized Joseph Stalin, which resulted to years in prisons and labour camps, plus three years of exile. In the novel, it is clear that he is more than simply telling Shukhov's tale, he is recounting his own experiences and exposing the truth to the world. In 1956, when Solzhenitsyn was allowed back in Russia, he decided to pursue his lifelong dream of writing a book. At that time, no one truly knew what went on in a Gulag, it was censored, as were the political crimes. The book One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, his first
It is more of a report. Shukhov's day is shown and his thoughts. We also encounter other prisoner's stories and views. There are also some flashbacks in which the characters talk about how they got there, their crimes and their lives before the Gulag. In the end, Solzhenitsyn clearly emphasizes that this is not one of the harsher days, and that it is just one more for them, with this section: "A day without a dark cloud. Almost a happy day. There were three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days like that in his stretch. From the first clang of the rail to the last clang of the rail. Three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days." (pg. 167). This is his way of showing that his intention was to recount and expose the reality and injustice that the men
I was proud of this post because I believe that I looked for connections in not so obvious places. I think I looked deeper into the true meaning and what was not written, in between the lines. In the first one, I could have simply gone past it, but it interested me, so I researched, and saw that it was actually a common issue of disappearing people. I looked at a current problem that affected society then. The second one was very metaphorical. I am really interested in the role of conformity in our everyday society, and this is clearly expressed through political cartoons of the "sheeple". When I saw the zeks in that situation, I was immediately brought to it. I believe I wasn't superficial in those aspects, and looked at things that weren't so obvious, especially with the second