How Empathy for Gulag Labour Workers is Evoked in One Day in the Life of Ivan

Denisovich

Higher Level Essay

English A: Literature HL

March 1, 2023

060571-0047

1496 words

Prompt: How does Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn use imagery and symbolism to reveal the deprived

freedoms and conditions in forced labour camps in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich?
 In Alexandr Solzhenityn’s novella, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (ODITLOID),

prisoners working within the communist Gulag system were socially oppressed and received

poor treatment while developing the Soviet economy, resulting in the unnatural death of millions.

Solzhenitsyn illustrates the deprived freedoms and conditions of workers in forced labour camps

implemented during the rule of Stalin with the use of symbolism of everyday objects and the sun,

the incorporation of vivid imagery of the Siberian climate, Shukhov’s residences, and food,

which evoke empathy for Shukhov and the zeks.

First and foremost, symbolism is used to highlight the deprived and unethical state of the

Gulags. Shukhov’s spoon serves as a symbol of his deprived identity and freedoms in the Gulag

labour camps where the expression of one’s individuality is discouraged through several efforts.

In Shukhov’s squadron, individuality is restricted; workers’ boots are “tossed into a common

heap” (Solzhenitsyn 13) where each morning they would take an arbitrary pair, regardless of

whether one “belonged” to a particular individual. Additionally, each worker’s identification is

reduced to a combination of alphanumeric characters, which are painted on their backs as a

replacement for their formal names in an effort to improve uniformity. Therefore, any form of

singularity is placed to a high degree of significance towards one’s identity, namely, Shukhov’s

spoon. Described as “his little baby”, his spoon was protectively kept in his boot at all times and

was licked clean after every meal before beging “tucked back” (Solzhenitsyn 17-18) safely

afterwards. Shukhov’s spoon is a symbol of his identity and unwavering dignity that set him

apart from other zeks who had been stripped of their personal belongings and identities. This

simple utensil became a distinguishing quality of Shukhov, highlighting his humanity in a

situation when dehumanization was the norm. In contrast to those who would eat food without

the privilege of utensils similar to animals, Shukhov preserves his dignity and humanity by using

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his spoon. Due to private property being considered contraband, Shukhov was required to hide

his spoon in his boot, which highlights the extent of the stringent restrictions on workers’

liberties in the camp and elicits compassion for Shukhov and his comrades.

Another effective symbol employed by Solzhenitsyn in ODITLOID is the sun and the

moon, which further manifests the deprived freedoms, conditions, and knowledge of Gulag

labour crews. The sun and moon, representing day and night, could also be viewed as the

working hours of encarnation and the resting hours of enlightenment. In Shukhov’s labour camp,

the question of how well one is treated is largely based on their productivity during the day. For

instance, Shukhov put in more effort than others during his hours spent at the power station,

which earned him an extra ration of bread, an extra bowl of stew, a “fair share of [Tzesar’s]

parcel” (Solzhenitsyn 171), and overall better treatment from camp authorities. Their underlying

ideology has been manipulated to believe that to receive improved treatment, one must first work

the part, even in the gruelling Siberian conditions. As explained by Kuziomin, “the ones that

don't make it are those who lick other men's leftovers, those who count on the doctors to pull

them through, and those who squeal on their buddies'' (Solzhenitsyn 3). Though, as stated by

Shukhov, the case was often “five days’ work for four days’ food” (Solzhenitsyn 95), which

reveals that the zeks were being greatly exploited for their labour with minimal returns. Even

disobedient workers would spend the hours of the sun working, as “it meant the loss of his work

for a whole day”, through the hours of the moon in the guardhouse (Solzhenitsyn 38).

Furthermore, the oppressed freedom of information in the Soviet regime is accentuated when the

prisoners inquire about the time of day when the sun is highest. Shukhov claims the sun is

“highest at dinnertime” while the captain, quoting from a decree written by the Soviet power,

states it is “highest at one” (Solzhenitsyn, 72). This scenario demonstrates how prisoners are

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deprived of reliable knowledge to ultimately suppress any thoughts of rebellion that may threaten

the continuity of Soviet rule.

Imagery is another tool used by Solzhenitsyn to illustrate the crude and inhumane

conditions and freedoms of working in forced labour camps. Solzhenitsyn’s vivid imagery of the

bitter environment and Shukhov’s dilapidated residences further exemplify the unlivable

conditions in Gulag labour crews. With Shukhov’s current camp residing in western Siberia

where temperatures drop to “twenty-seven below” (Solzhenitsyn 7), the prisoners are adversely

affected by the polar conditions. The labour camp does not attempt to provide sufficient

resources for labourers to toil comfortably. Shukhov commented on how he has been through

several winters “without valenki at all”, a Russian variant of fur boots, “or leather boots either”

(Solzhenitsyn 27). Solzhenitsyn focuses on the lack of necessities so as to draw attention to the

bitter effects of the harsh Siberian climate on the zeks. Solzhenitsyn vividly creates a picture of

the dismal conditions that evoke a sense of empathy. For instance, when Shukhov wakes up on

his bunk, feeling cold, he describes his residence as bearing “iced-over windows and white

cobwebs of frost all along the huge barracks where the walls joined the ceiling” (Solzhenitsyn 4).

Once he exits the medical bay, he describes himself in a “fight” against the cold; “the cold stung

[Shukhov]” and “a murky fog wrapped itself around him” as well, which “made him cough

painfully” (Solzhenitsyn 25). Such was the case especially when Shukhov and the other zeks

were being counted in the cold, exclaiming that they were “chilled to the marrow” (Solzhenitsyn

135). Moreover, there is imagery depicting the substandard conditions found around the camp,

which draws a picture of the inhumane living conditions often found in such labour camps. To

demonstrate, the workers’ establishments in these labour camps, such as “the wood-processing

factory, the workers’ settlement, and the new club” (Solzhenitsyn 43), were mostly built by camp

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convicts, often possessing no “warm corners for a whole month” (Solzhenitsyn 5) and remaining

cold for most of the day. When the workday was over, “Shukhov went to sleep fully content,”

(Solzhenitsyn 193) indicating that such low standards of food, health, and treatment featured in

the novella were superior to the norm among Gulag prisoners. The use of imagery to describe the

destitute living conditions in Gulag labour camps evokes a sense of empathy for the prisoners

and ultimately highlights the inhumane treatment they received at the hands of the Soviet regime.

Lastly, Solzhenitsyn uses vivid imagery of food to show its significance to the Gulag

labourers and illustrate their deprivation of basic sustenance. In ODITLOID, everyday life in the

labour camps is characterized by constant hardship and the yearning to alleviate hunger and

survive another day. Food is scarce, and for the lower ranks, it is mainly for subsistence, rationed

based on the amount of work one has accomplished throughout the day. The poor management

and distribution of resources by the Soviet Union resulted in the death of nearly 2.3 million

Russian citizens in the Gulags by malnutrition and hunger (Blyth 317). To express their

desperation toward the prison food, Shukhov meticulously describes each article of food as a

luxury to be savoured, preserved, and hidden. The substantial value of food can be distinguished

when Shukhov “concealed [half of his morning bread ration] under [his mattress]” and explained

that “food gulped down is no food at all… it gives you no feeling of fullness” (Solzhenitsyn

27-28). His ideology of how one should eat involves eating “with all your mind on the food”,

which includes “working the crumbs up into a paste with your tongue and sucking it into your

cheeks'” (Solzhenitsyn 54) as well as “[sucking] the sugar from the bread with his lips [and

licking] it under his tongue” (Solzhenitsyn 26). In addition, while receiving his morning rations,

he expressed his particularity about the “pound” of bread he was given (Solzhenitsyn 26-27) and

the “tasteless” nature of Chinese oatmeal (Solzhenitsyn 18), with his “belly [feeling] unsatisfied”

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nonetheless (Solzhenitsyn 43). Such details emphasize the scarcity and poor quality of the food

in the labour camps, which leads to the workers’ constant hunger and deprivation. All in all, the

use of food imagery to exemplify Shukhov’s high regard for necessities and their poor standard

of living evokes empathy for Shukhov and zeks in similar circumstances.

In closing, Gulag labourers in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan

Denisovich are exploited to labour in deprived conditions and freedoms. Through the effective

use of symbolism of Shukhov’s spoon, day and night, as well as vivid imagery of the frigid

Siberian climate, Gulag establishments, and meagre food rations, Solzhenitsyn portrays the harsh

struggle for survival that Shukhov and fellow prisoners endure each day, evoking a strong sense

of empathy. The novella sheds light on the brutalities of the oppressive policies set by the Soviet

regime and stands as an important literary testament to the human will to survive.

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 Works Cited

Blyth, Stephen. “The Dead of the Gulag: An Experiment in Statistical Investigation.” Journal of

the Royal Statistical Society. Series C (Applied Statistics), vol. 44, no. 3, 1995, p. 321.

JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/2986039.

Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: A Novel. Farrar, Straus, and

Giroux, 2005. Google Drive,

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SZV7pENYRwdr0PIPPWnvR5u5RhY-Uafj/view.

Accessed 10 June 2022.