Ivan Denisovich Dehumanization

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One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich focuses on totalitarian oppression and camp survival. The Gulag was a correct labor camp and settlement which almost entirely stripped the prisoners’ identity and dignity. The food rations were scarce among the prisoners, and the inadequate clothing and uninsulated housing were barbarous acts committed by this system. Various efforts to completely dehumanize the prisoners are articulated in this novel. While most of the prisoners were victims of dehumanization, Shukov and Alyosha were still able to preserve their identity, dignity, and humanity.

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