It is hard to believe, but people can survive in an unbearable atmosphere. It is only the support of comrades and brotherhood that can help not to give up in difficult situations. In the novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich written by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn the author depicts one day from the life of prisoners in one of Stalinist camps and emphasizes the importance of team spirit of the main characters in their everyday life.
Solzhenitsyn managed to find the words to describe the terrible atmosphere of the concentration camp. People were struggling for survival there every day, day by day. The author suggests following every step of Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, the central character of the novel, during one of these days. Getting acquainted with the characters more closely, the readers discover that the prisoners did not become hardened and their team spirit is strong. Inventing new ways to improve their situation, looking for things which they could hide and then trade for food, the prisoners did not lose their kindness, generosity and ability to sympathize with others.
In the evening Shukhov took an empty trash can and brought the rations for all his comrades. Then he brought a ration for his companion Tzesar to the hut, as the latter was allowed to eat there. All these details demonstrate that Shukhov did not become selfish, though the circumstances induced him to do so. On the contrary, Ivan Denisovich was ready to give the shirt off his back in order to support his comrades in their colorless existence. He liked Gopchik and Alyosha and shared his food with them, though he was starving too. The boys were like relatives for Shukhov, and in fact in some episodes the prisoners looked like members of one big family.
Gopchik and Alyosha gave Ivan Denisovich as good as they got. Shukhov gave one of his biscuits to Alyosha after the young man spoke to him about the importance of spiritual life. The main character of the novel was sensitive and Alyosha’s sentiment touched him deeply. Sometimes a carelessly spoken word can hurt, but a good advice is always valuable. It is difficult to be generous when you have not got everything necessary to survive, but the prisoners were ready to share everything they had.
Even Tsezar, the character which was supposed to think of the material things only, was generous in some episodes. He hid the parcels with food, which he received from his relatives, from all the prisoners. But at the same time he allowed Shukhov to eat his ration and treated him to biscuits. It demonstrates that even such hard-hearted people as the Tsesar are able for sentiments and were influenced by the idea of brotherhood.
At the beginning of the novel when Ivan Denisovich felt ill, he thought that he could stay in bed a little longer, because a kind guard was on duty. It demonstrates that even some guards felt sorry for the prisoners and were expected to be tolerant to them. Even though a different guard was on duty that morning, Shukhov was not punished. It leads to the conclusion that showing sympathetic understanding of the problem even guards made their contribution to the development of the idea of brotherhood.
It was very important for the prisoners to preserve their belief in universal values. It was only brotherhood, moral support of the comrades and the team spirit that could help them to survive in the atmosphere of the concentration camps, depicted in the novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
Bibliography
Solzhenitsyn, A.I. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Bantam Books. 1990: 203.