One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn Essay

Alexander Solzhenitsyn's purpose in episodes one and two of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is to develop Ivan Denisovich Shukhov as a mediator for personal views and then to present those views on life, prison, and authority to the reader. This purpose is accomplished by the author's use of characterization, symbolism, and aphorism. The reader's knowledge of Shukhov is almost as restricted as the rules set forth in Shukhov's prison, and there is nothing that sets Shukhov apart from the rest of the prisoners. This allows the reader to focus less on him as a character and more on what he is intended to convey. The author’s first use of characterization occurs in the quotation, "Shukhov never overslept reveille. He always got up at once, for the next ninety, until they assembled for work, belonged to him, not to the authorities" (17). Through this quotation, the reader recognizes how Shukhov is willing to partake in the many challenges set forth by authority, but still appreciates the time he can set aside for himself. This characterization of Shukhov shows that the author values the idea of self-awareness. This is essential further in the novel as seen when Shukhov reflects on the importance of mealtime or breaks as solely for one's self, which contrastingly reveals the extent in which authority has stolen time from the prisoners. Another example of characterization stems from the quotation, "Shukhov realized, as he had guessed on the way there, that he wasn't being sent to the guardhouse at all—it was simply that the guardroom floor needed scrubbing" (23). This quotation shows that Shukhov has an in-depth understanding of the operations within his prison and can be trusted by the reader to provide reliable exposure. The rea... ... the prisoners survived. This is necessary to understand for later in the novel when an importance is placed on one's ability to outsmart the authority in order to actually survive prison. For instance, when Shukhov tricks the cook in prison into giving his squad more dishes. By using aphorisms from Shukhov, Solzhenitsyn is able to express universal truths to discredit the communistic society around him, a personal view he wished to share on a global scale. Through the characterization of Shukhov, the use of symbolism, and the use of aphorisms, Solzhenitsyn is able to recognize Shukhov as a mediator of his personal views thus providing the reader with the observations that he has made as a prisoner himself. Works Cited Solzhenitsyn, Alexander. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Trans. Ralph Parker. New York: E.P. Dutton, a Division of Penguin, 1963. Print.