Strength of the Human Spirit Revealed by Ivan Denisovich Essay

Strength of the Human Spirit Revealed in One Day in the aliveness of Ivan Denisovich Life give the axe be incredibly hard at clocks nearly everyone encounters a period of time when circumstances become unbearably rugged. Imagine being appoint to ten years of unceasing and tremendous hardships, as is the plight of the protagonist in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. This book describes in detail only one day of Ivans ten-year sentence in a Russian work camp in the 1950s. During this day, which is alike most others, he is starved, nearly frozen, overworked, and punished unjustly however, as the day unfolds, it is obvious that Ivan will never give up and never give in. The character of Ivan Denisovich is a emblem of the human spirit and its never-ending will to survive, even through the harshest of conditions. Ivans day begins with reveille at 500, as always (significant because this day is just like every other day has been for the past eight y ears). On most mornings after reveille, he jumps pop of bed to have a little time to himself, but today he is not feeling well and rises slowly. Usually, there are many things he could do during this time before the morning digress call sweep up, carry something for someone, fetch the boots of the gang boss, gather and stack bowls at the mess hall, any number of little jobs. On the surface, Ivans actions account noble and kindhearted, as if the well being of others is his main concern. But like most kind gestures, there is an entirely different motive for Ivan, it is just some other way of getting food(2). He, like most people in a difficult situation, performs favors and tasks, not out of the goodness of his heart, but only out of his desir... ...Max Hayward, in his introduction to _One Day In the Life of Ivan Denisovich _, says the book is a morality play in which the carpenter Ivan Denisovich Shukhov is Everyman (xv). There are exceptions to the imitation Ivan is not a fl at character, void of depth and definition, but through these examples, it is obvious that much of the time, Ivan Denisovich reflects the average human spirit and the way in which it reacts to difficult situations. Of course, the average human spirit does not endure the hardships presented in a Soviet work camp, but all hardships are related in their capacity to destroy their victims or to strengthen them. In this case, Ivan is the spirit who is strengthened, the victim who will never give up, and never give in. Bibliography Solzhenitsyn, Alexander. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. New York Bantam Books, 1963.