A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is a novel by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, set in a Russian work camp in the 1950s. The novel describes a single day for Ivan Denisovich, most commonly referred to as Shukhov. The novel was originally written in Russian, so it should be noted that any English copy is a translation.
Warning: spoilers follow.
Shukhov has been sentenced to the concentration camp because he was captured as a prisoner of war in World War II. His sentence is for ten years, but the book indicates that most people never leave the camps. The final paragraph perhaps suggests that Shukhov serves exactly ten years -- no more and no less -- but this is not completely clear.
The day begins with Shukhov waking up sick. For waking late, he is sent to the guardhouse and forced to clean it -- an unfair punishment, but minor compared to others mentioned in the book. When Shukhov is finally able to leave the guardhouse, he goes to the dispensary to report his illness. Since it is late in the morning by now, the doctor is unable to exempt any more workers and Shukhov is forced to work.
The rest of the day mainly speaks of Shukhov's squad (the 104th, which has 23 members), their allegiance to the squad leader, and the work that the prisoners do. Solzhenitsyn also tells of methods used for survival; the whole camp lives by the "law of the jungle", a "survival of the fittest" type attitude. Shukhov is one of the hardest workers in the squad and is generally well-respected. Rations at the camp are small, but for Shukhov they are the only thing to live for, and he conserves the food that he receives.
At the end of the day, Shukhov is able to provide a few special services for Caesar, an intellectual who is able to get out of manual labor and do office work instead. Caesar is most notable, however, for receiving packages full of food from his family. Shukhov is able to get a considerable share of Caesar's packages by standing in lines for him. Shukhov's day ends up being a productive one, "almost a happy day".
Other characters include:
- Alyoshka, who attempts to convert others, especially Shukhov, to Christianity. Alyoshka is, amazingly, able to hide a Bible in the barracks. Shukhov says he believes in God but not heaven nor hell nor in spending much time on the issue.
- Gopchik, a young member of the squad who works hard and who Shukhov has fatherly feelings for.
- Tyurin, the squad leader for the 104th, who has been in the camp for 19 years. Tyurin likes Shukhov and gives him some of the better jobs. This is only part of the hierarchy: Tyurin must argue for better jobs and wages from the camp officers in order to please the squad, who then must work hard in order to please the camp officers and get larger rations.
