The Beauty of Simplicity: A Literary Analysis of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

In my previous post, we looked at the historical significance of the Gulag and took a peek into Solzhenitsyn's world. Here, I explore why the literary aspects of the novel made it a quick addition to my favorite novels.

*Excerpts from the novel have been italicized for readability.*

Narration Style

The majority of the sentences’ succinct structure is the result of Shukhov being one of the narrators. The structure demonstrates Shukhov’s lack of education, using unconventional grammar and slang to ground the reader in this reality. The parts narrated by him lack any sort of complex, melodious structure. For instance, Solzhenitsyn often omits the “I” from Shukhov’s voice as the “I” is implied when one thinks about their action to themself. During the bricklaying work Shukhov does in the middle of the day, this is seen with his remarks to himself: “finished leveling up the third row, now get going on the fourth. Ought really to take the string a course higher, but it’ll do” (p. 107). The conversational language depicted in the excerpt is to be noted, differing from the other two narrators Solzhenitsyn utilizes.

Use of a selective omniscient third person narrator, with its focus on Shukhov, becomes apparent immediately with the start of the novel and remains a crucial aspect until the very end. When the prisoners have reached the camp and are resting inside the huts after their work, Shukhov approaches Tsezar to offer fetching his supper - to which “Shukhov’s real thought was ‘You’ll let me have your supper, won’t you? You wouldn’t be that stingy!’” (p. 142). Since Shukhov cannot fully reveal his sentiments - as he mainly narrates his grievances and delights about the day - the third person narrator fulfills that wish: describing Shukhov’s motives when necessary. While this third person narrator exhibits Shukhov’s thoughts, the narrator is also able to see the greater picture when there are details that Shukhov does not acknowledge, making the narrator essential to understanding the secondary characters’ intricacies. At the very beginning of the novel, Shukhov enters the sick bay in hopes of resolving his pain. He notices the new medical intern, Vdovushkin, writing “something on the side,” but it is stated that the writing is merely “nothing that Shukhov would have comprehended” (p. 23). However, the third person narrator clarifies that “he was copying out his long new poem,” to inform the reader about Vdovushkin’s art, possibly hinting that Vdovushkin was a dissident writer whose art was deemed too political for the government (p. 23).

A certain type of first person narration is put into use as well, sharing the colloquial language of Shukhov’s own narration. For example, when contemplating Alyoshka's meek countenance, the narrator declares that “if everybody in the world was like him, I’d be the same. Help anybody who asked me” (p. 109). This first person narrator also utilizes the first person plural to include the reader in the treacherous tasks the prisoners are forced to endure, expanding on the sheer amount of individuals - the greater world. Outlining the efficiency of the bricklaying if the other prisoners followed through with their tasks, the narrator tells the reader that “if they hurry up and fix the hoist, we can lift the mortar and the cinder blocks with it” (p. 142). Additionally, this first person narrator will occasionally directly speak to the reader - “you ought to show a bit of consideration. We’ve got to earn all we can” - perhaps to compel the reader to consciously reflect upon the dire situation (p. 106). This specific “you” addresses the audience, challenging any preconceived notions of dignity. It assumes that the reader is privileged enough to not know such inhumanity, forcing the reader to confront their own detachment from reality.

Solzhenitsyn’s mixture of narration, or rather three layers of voice, is a variation of a Russian narrative style called skaz. This skaz style, with its flexibility, permitted Solzhenitsyn to allow the reader to see the life of a prisoner in labor camps through the prisoner’s eyes. This narration style worked well in communicating the endless mental and physical toil along with the harsh treatment Shukhov and the others underwent, being far more personable than simply using third person because of the use of conversational language and placing the reader in the prisoners’ shoes. Another reason as to why Solzhenitsyn decided to use the skaz was because it was a familiar narrative structure for Russian readers, creating greater authenticity for this heartrending story (Chirkova-Holland, Raising the Iron Curtain: Healing Collective Oppression through Literature).

Prose

Although One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich did not have much flowery, descriptive language, Solzhenitsyn’s deliberately common word choices further his political message criticizing the gulag system. The simplicity of the passages accentuates the mundane aspects of the gulag life, drastically differing from the horrors the prisoners face. The simple, almost prosaic writing symbolizes the pragmatism most of the prisoners have succumbed to; forced to accept a harsh truth they are unable to escape from, while also finding meaning in their work.

Solzhenitsyn’s unadorned prose unveils the routine of the labor, creating a short and quick rhythm that captures the rut of working from morning to night. At the Power Station, Shukhov is the only one left working besides Senka. Focusing on his work, Shukhov recites a mantra to himself: “Slap on the mortar! Slap on a block! Press it down a bit. Make sure it’s straight. Mortar. Block. Mortar. Block” (p. 113). The tempo of the sentences creates a song-like structure that illustrates the repetition of bricklaying and allows the reader to inhabit the mind of a prisoner laboring, just as the bricklaying consumes their mind. The repetition of “mortar” and “block” act as a metronome, symbolizing the machine-like nature of the prisoners. Shukhov is exhausted and only focused on laying the next brick, he does not, and cannot, have the luxury to think about his wife or his future.

The plainness factors into the reader’s empathy with the familiarity of pleasure in rare solaces. When the night has finished and Shukhov has finally attained his supper, he is blissful, letting the “warmth spread through his body, his insides greeted that skilly with a joyful fluttering. This was it! This was good!” (p. 152). The “joyful fluttering” is visceral, precisely describing the physical sensation of eating after starving; elaborate prose is not necessary to depict the instinct for the thin gruel’s warmth. The latter two exclamations add to the reader’s understanding of the joy Shukhov is feeling, the immediate relief the basic sustenance provided is all a gulag prisoner lives for.

Case Studies

Perseverance

“What kept body and soul together in these men was a mystery. Canvas belts were drawn tight around empty bellies. The frost was crackling merrily.” (p. 60)

Context: When Gang 104 arrives at the abandoned Power Station to rebuild it.

Literary Device(s): metaphysical reflection/reflection, juxtaposition, comforting diction

The usage of a metaphysical reflection - “what kept body and soul together in these men was a mystery” - proposes itself to the reader, forcing the reader to ponder upon the sheer will of the men. The “canvas belts” being oddly “drawn tight around empty bellies” highlights the starvation so commonplace in the labor camp. If anything, the tight belts would only injure the prisoners even more by chafing the skin, but are necessary as they draw the clothing closer to their body, essential for maintaining the body’s warmth and thus, surviving. Solzhenitsyn’s use of “crackling merrily” to describe frost is quite atypical. “Crackling” is associated with the crackling of a fireplace, perhaps one that a family has “merrily” gathered around for festivities - exemplifying the comforting diction Solzhenitsyn puts to use. However, Solzhenitsyn almost subverts the cozy depiction of a hearth by applying the same language to the bleak Siberian climate, showing how Shukhov has been acclimated to the cold for so long that even the camp’s frost resembles a home. Moreover, convincing oneself that the frost can be consolation may either be a result of wishful thinking to return to his real home or a psychological tactic to aid his survival.

Religion

“The way his brush moved as he painted a number on a cap made you think of a priest anointing a man’s forehead with holy oil.” (p. 30)

Context: Another prisoner, an old man, “The Artist” - revitalizes the faded numbers of the prisoners

Literary Device(s): simile

Solzhenitsyn makes many references to religion in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, most likely due to the deep roots of Russian Orthodox Christianity. The simile, comparing the imprisoned artist’s brush re-painting the number to a “priest anointing a man’s forehead with holy oil” creates a sense of irony - the man performing with the same careful hand of a priest. Priests anoint heads to set a specific individual apart; the holy oil signifying a profound divine connection to the Holy Spirit - consecrating an individual. Comparing this sacred tradition to one for those considered lowly, specifically the renewal of the prisoners’ signs of dehumanization, further underscores the bitter irony. The prisoners’ numbers being re-painted, instead of symbolizing their spiritual connection, depicts their existence being labeled as just another prisoner in the labor camp, also acting as a reminder of their position.

Religion is not only used as a tool to show the horrors of the camp, but is revered as a cultural aspect of society that assists prisoners in their preservation of humanity, as seen with Alyoshka the Baptist, who harnesses his faith to provide him hope. Though Shukhov recognizes religion’s significance and respects how it comforts others, he offers a cynical perspective regarding a reliance on religion for survival - criticizing notions of an afterlife, while still whispering prayers to God.

Human Dignity

“The whole column rejoiced. Like rabbits finding that frogs, say, are afraid even of them.” (p. 131)

Context: When the prisoners reached another junction after working, while they still had to trudge to the camp, they had passed the majority of the trek

Literary Device(s): simile - “like rabbits finding that frogs…are afraid even of them”

The rabbit understands that it fears many and is near the bottom of the food chain, yet it delights in the power it feels from a miniscule creature such as a frog being intimidated by it. The rabbits are the prisoners and the frogs are those lesser, or they could depict the troubles of the gulag (in this case, not having to spend as much time out in the frigid cold.) However, to observe this simile given the novel’s entirety, Solzhenitsyn demonstrates that the prisoners’ victories are scarce due to their dwindling dignity. Such moments of fleeting superiority provide enough satisfaction to the human instinct that it permits them to survive another minute, another hour, another day. Would the rabbit’s momentary happiness prove to be worth the small fortune? Perhaps not, but it remains a triumph in a harrowing life where one solely lives to survive.

Conclusion

You can’t really fully appreciate the beauty of Solzhenitsyn’s storytelling and writing in a quick blog post. I have so many quotes from One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich that took my breath away with their insight, but I think they’d make this post twice as long! :’) There are many aspects of this novel that I wish I could’ve dove into, like the continuance of human connection, and in contrast, how some prisoners felt that their only means of survival were to work with the guards. The way Solzhenitsyn captures human grit, how one can bear such suffering yet still finding meaning to daily life, is masterfully done. I’m not usually a fan of putting ratings on books, because literature often exceeds those kinds of labels, but I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and believe that One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is most certainly worth your time.

“Just one of the 3,653 days of his sentence, from bell to bell. The extra three were for leap years.” -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, p. 182 of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich