Summary:
Readers argue about how life in a Soviet prison camp has affected the moral state of Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, the main protagonist in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's novel "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich." Is he a more kind hearted and generous person or a more inconsiderate one? He is a hard worker and is always reliable, yet he is considerably uncharitable toward Fetiukov and apathetic toward Buinovsky when he is sent to the cells.
Building from his own experience in Soviet labour camps, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn created Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, an average Russian peasant, sentenced to ten years in similar labour camps. Indeed the harsh conditions Shukhov has been made to endure within the camps have caused some noticeable changes in his character, such as acquiring survival skills and instincts. However it can be seen throughout the novel that camp life has yet to break Shukhov. He is still dignified and manages to retain many of the qualities he possessed before entering the camp system. Because of this, the moral state Solzhenitsyn has given him is debatable. It is difficult to determine whether camp life has changed his personality much as little detail is given about Shukhov's past compared to other aspects of his life. Solzhenitsyn allows Shukhov.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. There are 1,401 words (approx.
5 pages at 300 words per page) in the full essay.
Read the rest of this Essay with our Analysis of Shukhovs Moral State Access Pass.
