One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Characters & Character Analysis

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Characters

Alyoshka

Ivan's bunk mate, he is known by his religion. He represents the spiritual element that survives despite the atheism that is a cornerstone of Communism, in which the State is the only religion. He reads his Bible and is protected by Ivan, who respects his faith. In fact, Ivan wonders how Alyoshka can survive without extra rations and shares his cookie from Caesar with him.

The Baptist

SeeAlyoshka

Big Ivan

A tall, thin guard, he is the most easygoing of the lot.

Buynovsky

One of Ivan's bunk mates.

Captain Buynovsky

In the Russian navy, he was once a liaison officer on a British ship, since the British and Russians were allies during World War II. But after receiving a thank-you gift from a British officer for his good service, he was sentenced to twenty-five years of hard labor. Throughout the novel he changes from a die-hard military man to a clever inmate. When...
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