Analysis Of Shukhov In One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich

Throughout the novel of The Death of Ivan Ilych, Tolstoy conveys his thematic focus through his unique use of diction. Tolstoy examines several factors that have altered Ivan Ilych’s lifestyle. The only way to enhance our understanding of these factors is to observe how Tolstoy portrays Ivan’s evolving comprehension of what death means to him. Evidently, such portrayal can be thoroughly observed and understood by carefully analyzing Tolstoy’s use of diction. Furthermore, there are several themes that Tolstoy focuses on primarily, which are often associated with the depiction of the human existence as a conflict between different sides of the spectrum and Ivan’s tendency to alienate himself from the world.

He once again connects himself to the audience by telling about the things he has lived through, like world wars, revolutions. He also speaks specifically to Russians by telling them he has lived through the same tragedies as they have. Once he fully connected to his audience, he began to attempt to sway them. He speaks on the state of the world, and says “Today' s world has reached a stage which, if it had been described to preceding centuries, would have called forth the cry: "This is the Apocalypse!"(Solzhenitsyn 146) Which accurately describe the emotion of the time. Many people, especially in the Soviet Union, were scared for their way of life.

Shukhov’s day consists of harsh labour, strict inspections, and desired meal times. Throughout the novel, the reader is exposed to different kinds of people, whose stories are shared through flashbacks and events. Two minor characters who are introduced are Alyosha and Fetiukov, both having personalities on opposite

In both Chekhov’s “Gusev” and London’s “To Build a Fire,” the main characters’ opinions about death are radically characterized by the setting. First, the presence, or lack, of characters surrounding the protagonists of “Gusev” and “To Build a Fire,” greatly shape the attitudes of who these men seek to be in death. In “Gusev,” the protagonist Gusev inhabits a hospital on a Russian steamer ship surrounded by men who are dying. Here he comes into contact with Pavel Ivanitch, a man with a penchant for negatively philosophizing every trivial word Gusev says.

Sansom writes, “He faces his mortality and realizes the failure of constructing a life on preferences and abstract relationships” (421). Shallow relationships and a focus on outward appearance lead to a neglect of Ivan’s actual purpose. In this time of Ivan grappling with death, Tolstoy proposes the idea that before we die “the choice is not how to act in ways so that we can control our death and question the meaning of life, but whether there is a reality to which we can find real value as individuals that is not nullified by the existential syllogism” (Sansom 424). The control that he sought as a way to defend himself against chaos does not lead him to peace; instead, it disappoints him and helps move Ivan to a place of deeper understanding. At the very end during an interaction with his son, Ivan finally “empties himself of meaningless false images of human purpose, [and] he then sees how to respond honestly with integrity to his destiny” (Sansom 427).

The author, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, was sentenced to the gulag because he wrote anti-Soviet pieces of literature. Being anti-soviet meant that you were against Joseph Stalin’s views. A day in the camp as he explains it is kinda boring. They start off by building a wall with bricks and mortar. Next they go back and put away the tools and go line up outside of the camps to be counted.

“I'm of that generation of Jews still deeply influenced by the Holocaust. Certainly the notion that the state power to kill can be subject to such extraordinary abuse is always lurking beneath the surface for me. Certainly my experience and identity as a Jew is there,” a quote said by Scott Turow, an American author and lawyer. The Holocaust is tragedy that scarred not only the survivors, but generations to come; it also erased part of the future.

Breaking Stalin’s Nose is a children’s novel written by Eugene Yelchin. The story takes place in Soviet Russia during the Stalin era. The main character, Sasha Zaichik, is a loyal communist, faithful to Stalin and eager to soon serve as a young pioneer. Sasha’s father, an informant for Stalin, is abducted in the middle of the night. Sasha at first believes a mistake has been made but he learns that his father’s seizure was no accident.

He uses descriptions of spaces in St. Petersburg to morph protagonist Raskolnikov’s mind and his surroundings into an indistinguishable amalgamation of confusion and claustrophobia, showing the Westernized city’s stifling effect on the internal workings of a traditional Russian man bombarded by new ideas. Dostoevsky focuses on St. Petersburg on the scale of individual rooms as opposed to full cityscapes. This use of space is most evident in his repeated descriptions of the cramped living quarters which act as barriers to Raskolnikov’s achievement of his full potential. At many points in the novel, Raskolnikov appears stuck in his own mind as well as in his physical space. The first description of his living-quarters immediately conveys this feeling of entrapment: “His closet was located just under the roof of a tall, five-storied house, and was more like a cupboard than a room.”

In the book, Symphony for the City of the Dead, by M.T. Anderson, the author accentuates the composer, Dmitri Shostakovich, to describe the composer’s devotion for his city and country. The novel was set during 1905-1975 in northern Europe and western Russia. When Shostakovich lived in Leningrad, Russia, during World War 2, he wrote symphonies. He expressed his feelings of horror and hope for Russia's victory against the Nazi power in his symphonies. Although, his seventh symphony was the most significant to all globally in this time of war.

The author’s use of symbolism also supports the theme of not abandoning human dignity and humanity to survive the camp that was designed for destroying the individual and reducing the prisoners to animal. There were rations in the camp, and prisoners were supposed to get their respective shares of bread equally, although some could get more by other means, simply to survive for another day. Even though the camp was oppressive, Shukhov still had his humanity and the little things he did that still made him human, as a means to help him survive: “Shukhov pulled the spoon out of his boot. His little baby. It had been with him his whole time in the North.

Raskolnikov confronts reality and can never again legitimize his activities in light of political perspectives. The writer of Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky composed this book uncovering some of his own perspectives on legislative issues and consolidating them all through the story. Like Raskolnikov, Dostoyevsky was captured by the administration and punished for his offense. He was rebuffed for his radical communist positions, just to later reject these thoughts. Through the story, the creator fuses a solid message of exactly how intense the legislature is and the solid impact of governmental issues.

The Death of Ivan Ilych, by Leo Tolstoy, is a famous and well renowned novel depicting the time leading up to and the death of a 19th century Russian man. Ivan Ilych was an ordinary middle-class Russian man, who lived the everyday life of a court official filled with pleasantness and properness. Unfortunately, leading up to his death, and in the last three days of his life, Ivan experienced a tremendous amount of pain, suffering, anxiety, and loneliness. Despite these hardships that Ivan faced and what other characters think, he did, in fact, have a “good death.”

He claims his intelligence is an affliction. He longs to be slapped in order to spend the rest of his life strategizing revenge, although he will never perform the narrative. Dostoyevsky urges readers to question the validity of an impenetrable wall. Dostoyevsky seems to be creating excuses for not making choices. He calls men of action stupid

Raskolnikov’s accumulating debt owed to his landlord prevents him from moving outside of Saint Petersburg and causes massive emotional damage. Each time he leaves his apartment, he fears seeing his landlady, The stress and anxiety arising from the debt he owes to his landlord causes him to become unruly and he had, “fallen into a state of nervous depression akin to hypochondria,” feeding into his detachment from society. Not only does Raskolnikov’s living situation seem grim, but his room itself furthers his emotional detachment from society. Raskolnikov’s room allows him to dehumanize himself.