One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: A Novel

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" is a must-read. Think of it as the Soviet equivalent of Night (Oprah's Book Club).

The book is about what the title says- a day in the life of Ivan Denisovich, usually referred to as "Shukhov" in the book. We follow Ivan Denisovich through one day in his life in the gulag- from reveille at 5:00 a.m. to bedtime around 10:00 p.m. Primarily on our protagonist's mind is finding some extra food (all they get is a bowl of gruel and 550 grams of bread 3 times a day), staying warm, staying out of the camp prison, and staying alive.

Through "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," readers learn what life in a totalitarian state is like, and what slavery is like. People were imprisoned in the gulag for writing derogatory comments about Stalin, or for being Baptist, or for no reason at all. The title character was imprisoned for being a German spy. In World War II, he was captured by the Germans, but escaped. Unfortunately, the Soviet interrogators beat him until he confessed to being a spy, and he got 10 years. In the early days of Stalin's gulag, everyone got 10 years regardless of what they did, and later on everyone got a flat 25 years. Supposedly, Kruschev praised the book, calling it "an indictment of Stalin's cult of personality." While this is certainly true, it's an indictment of totalitarianism in general, and the Soviet state in particular.

No major plot developments happen- there's no uprising, and no knight in shining armor comes and rescues the people from the gulag. The closing part says it all, "Shukhov felt pleased with his life as he went to sleep...The end of an unclouded day. Almost a happy one." Everyone needs to read this.

Solzhenitsyn wrote this terse account of a prisoner's single day in the gulags in 1962. Amazingly it was published in an obscure Soviet literary review, in spite of its overt criticism of the totalitarian system. After much government discussion, some involving the Politburo, publication was allowed and Solzhenitsyn became an internationally known and respected author. Later he moved to Vermont and then returned to post-Soviet Russia. I have not read his later works, much of it focused on WWI, but re-read Day in the Life for the first time in 30 years.

Like the author, Ivan is a prisoner in a Siberian work camp in the 1950's. In the one day captured in this short novel, Ivan performs very well, leading his construction crew to a record performance, and is rewarded with extra rations.

The total and complete despair and penury of the camps permeates every hour. Prisoners take great pleasure in minor victories such as soup actually containing protein (albeit fish bones), a shelter to block the wind when the temperature falls to -40, or standing near someone who is smoking and getting the residual tobacco from his cigarette holder.

Solzhenitsyn draws from his ten years of experience in a Stalinist prison camp to create a very revealing portrait of a single day in a camp. The protagonist hero is an average prisoner who narrates an average day in the camp. The book is written in true narrative form with no chapters or page breaks to cause the story to slow. The advantage to the book covering only one day is it helps the reader better understand how the narrator can think only one day at a time. With no clocks and little contact with the outside, it quickly becomes apparent why the narrator focuses only on getting through each day. This day in particular included a trip to the doctor, elaborate maneuvering to obtain more food, and a piece of saw is hoarded for future use. While these may seem like small things to us, we cannot begin to understand their importance to the narrator. Hopefully, by understanding we can learn from this terrible period of time and that hope can prevail over all things.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich was a good and short read. (The book is only 159 pages.) Solzhenitsyn does not break the book into chapters, but rather combines the book into one single narrative. (This can make finding stopping points in your reading difficult.) The entire book takes place during one January day. The book centers around the life of Ivan Denisovich Shukhov and his fellow prisoners at a Stalinist work prison in Siberia. Solzhenitsyn rarely mentions the prison guards by name in the book. This emphasises the lives of the individual prisoners. Unlike like many other famous Russian novels, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, is mainly about the Russian underclass. The unchecked power, unfairness, randomness, and ineffectiveness of Soviet Union is constant theme in the book. The most memorable scene from the book, is where the uneducated Shukvo asks if the Soviet government has the power to change the sun's highest point in the sky from noon to one o'clock.

A chilling account of life in a Siberian forced labor camp, it's amazing that this novel was even allowed to be published in the post-Stalinist era of the Soviet Union (it was later banned). "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" provides a stark account of life stripped to the essential need to survive in the foreboding tundra. Yet, it is not the weather that proves most oppressive, but the capricious cruelty of the Soviet guards and the system that supports them.

Sukhov, a.k.a. Ivan Denisovich, is a faceless number, one who escaped as a P.O.W. from German soldiers, but was labeled a spy. Although he is a model prisoner, he always expects a return for his generosity. Every thing he does in the camp is calculated to benefit him. Although he does not exploit the other prisoners, his self-interest consumes him. Only the selfless Baptist, Aloysha, shows that true generosity expects nothing in return. However, Sukhov cannot be blamed for having this attitude, for this is the only way he can survive his indefinite stay in the prison camp.

Undoubtedly, this novel has shades of "1984", as the real incarnation of Orwell's Big Brother state was the Soviet Union. As in "1984", reality is malleable and can be twisted into any form desirable. Otherwise innocent P.O.W's are determined to be spies, and they must confess, regardless of the real truth. Soviet decree can declare that the sun is highest at 1:00 PM instead of noon, and it must be so. The prisoners are captive to this new Soviet "truth" and must adjust their lives to fit it. One's survival is dependent upon the acceptance of their "truth" and reality.

The Soviet ideal of collectivism and common good are best displayed in the prisoners. Their camaraderie and cooperation is apparent as they work in the bitter cold, sub-freezing temperatures. Yet, their prime motivation is to avoid further punishment, as their fear of reprisal proves the most efficient motivator. Ironically, the Socialist ideal can only be achieved in a forced, oppressive environment, for freedom brings free choice and the desire to be achieve more than one's peers.

This novel shows how even the most meager of necessities, such as a small piece of stale bread, can be treasured and savored. Sukhov makes the best of his situation and shows how ingenuity and his survival instinct can make even the most horrid conditions bearable. Although the Soviet Union has been relegated to the ash heap of history, this novel provides a great insight to the horrors of a tyrannical government and the frightening potential of its unchecked power.