The Theme of Hope in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Essay

The Theme of Hope in One solar day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich In Alexander Solzhenitsyns novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, the strong themes of hold and perseverance are undercut by the realization that for Ivan there is little or no purpose in life. This is not to say that the themes of trust and perseverance do not hold up in the novel. There are numerous instances in the novel where Shukhov is fill up with hope. However, these moments of hope amidst the banal narrative of the novel raise the interesting foreland Are these moments of hope pointless? The answer to this question may remain more in the individual human nature of the reader than in Solzhenitsyns literary technique. Whether pointless or not, Solzhenitsyn offers many instances in the novel where the themes of hope and perseverance are evident. The glimpses of hope which Ivan Denisovich sees includes the few moments after reveille that the pris geniusrs energize to themselves, respecting his fel low prisoners, taking pride in a job healthful done, and enjoying simple food and tobacco. Solzhenitsyn wrote One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in such a fashion that the brutality of the Soviet labor camps is not emphasized. Instead of focusing on the brutality of the camps, Solzhenitsyn focused on one day in the life of a very ordinary prisoner. However, the occurrence that Ivan Denisovich Shukhov is such an ordinary man and is still able to find hope in the most menial of tasks is inspiring. Joseph Frank states that Solzhenitsyns fundamental theme is on the button the affirmation of character, the ability to survive in a nightmare land where mora... ... Research Inc., 1992. Lucid, Luellen. Solzhenitsyns Rhetorical Revolution. Twentieth Century Literature 23 (1977) 498-517. Rpt in Solzhenitsyn. World Literary Criticism 1500 to the Present. Ed. James P. Draper. Detroit Gale Research Inc., 1992. Remnick, David. Ressurrection The debate for a New Russia. New Yo rk Random House Inc., 1998 Solzhenitsyn, Alexander. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Trans. Max Hayward and Ronald Hingely. New York Bantam Doubleday Dell publishing Group Inc., 1990. Terras, Victor. A History of Russian Literature. New Haven Yale University Press, 1991. Wilson, Edmund. A Window on Russia For the Use of Foreign Readers. New York Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1943.