Solzhenitsyn And Nature

422 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Stalin rule in Russia

The theme of nature is reinforced with the motifs that are employed by Solzhenitsyn. The cold is a physical manifestation of the coldness with which the managers of the labor camp treat the prisoners. Body searches that would be humiliating in the best of climates are physically torturous in temperatures of forty degrees below zero. Wearing ratty prison clothes would be degrading enough for the inmates even in summer, but wearing them in the biting Siberian winter makes constant suffering a part of their prison sentence. The column went [...] out onto the open steppe, walking into the wind and the reddening sunrise. Not so much as a sapling to be seen out on the steppe, nothing but bare white snow to the left or right. (Solzhenitsyn 221) Not …show more content…

No one ever considers trying to escape from the camp, for the obvious reason that the intense weather would cause a quick death. The combination of the hard camp life and the forbidding weather creates the sense that the whole universe is against Shukhov and his fellow inmates—their lives are hindered by both humans and nature. This sense of oppression highlights the anguish of the human condition. The world is inhospitable, and yet it is the fate of humans to carry on, one day at a time. Another motif is The prisoners’ lives show how the Soviet regime makes private events public in order to exercise control over individuals. One important quote in Section 5 of the text shows how the Soviet government controls the prisoners” “Since then it’s been decreed that the sun is highest at one o’clock.”Who decreed that? ”The Soviet government.”(Solzhenitsyn,222) The inmates have no space to call their own, and their every move is monitored. At one point, the system decrees that a walk to the latrine cannot be made alone; even this has become a public event. The camp has replaced prisoners’ names, which represent their private identities, with letters and numbers. Prisoners are no longer private individuals, but rather symbols in a public system. The state’s elimination of privacy is not totally successful, however, one example where the claim is justified is what Shukov is named in prison, Shcha-854”( Solzhenitsyn ,Page

Show More
Related

  • This Way For The Gas Ladies And Gentlement Analysis

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    There are unexpected aspects of life in the camp depicted in “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlement” by Tadeusz Borowski. The prisoners were able to make very obvious improvements to their lived in the camp, without reaction by the SS officers; the market was even made with the support of the camp. The prisoners actually hoped for a transport of prisoners, so as to gain some supplies. The true nature of the camp is never forgotten, even in better moments at the camp.

    Read More

  • Lampman And Purdy Analysis

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Trees of the Arctic Circle” and “Heat” depict nature as having its faults such as the trees being a disappointment in Purdy’s case and the weather being too intensely hot in Lampman’s case but by the end of each poem find clarity is almost essential not only physically but internally. The two works give nature characteristic views as well as personification that differ from 20th century modernist works to impressionist ideals upon nature. Both poems bring out realizations in ones self within coming to terms with shifting out of the negative to a positive and demonstrating that nature is always capable bring out

    Read More

  • Between the Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Gulag: Soviet Forced Labor Camps and the Struggle for Freedom." Gulag: Soviet Forced Labor Camps and the Struggle for Freedom. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Comparing One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich and The Shawshank Redemption

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the Russian GULAG (Chief Administration of Correctional Labor Camps), Shuhkov was treated in comparison to an animal. He was fed little and worked hard. The GULAG system did not want the prisoner to have a higher thinking, or purpose. Shuhkov tells the reader, "Yes you live with your feet in the mud and there's no time to be thinking about how you got in or how you're going to get out" (Solz 55). A few prisoners were able to overcome the labor camp's control; Shuhkov and Aloysha the Baptist were two. Shuhkov, a concrete thinker used tangible items to survive the harshness of the GULAG. Aloysha the Baptist, on the other hand, is an abstract thinker. He used his religion to reduce the bitterness of camp. Shuhkov knows little of science or textbook education. For example in his discussion with Buinovsky about the moon, Shuhkov shows he knows very little about astrology, but he knows how to use every resource possible. He says, "'God crumbles up the moon into stars'"(Solz 90). In this passage Shuhkov shows his nature to not waste anything. Shuhkov used everyday to the fullest. All that was thought about was that day, no past and no future. He was supposed to be being punished for military actions. The only thing being punished was his body. His mind was his key to survival of the punishment.

    Read More

  • Gulag

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Soviet system of forced labor camps was first established in 1919 under the Cheka; however, in the early 1930’s camps had reached outrageous numbers. In 1934 the Gulag had several million prisoners. The prisoners ranged from innocent pro-Bolsheviks to guilty Trotsky’s. Conditions were harsh, filthy, and prisoners received inadequate food rations and poor clothing. Over the period of the Stalin dictatorship many people experienced violations of their basic human rights, three in particular were Natasha Petrovskaya, Mikhail Belov, and Olga Andreyeva.

    Read More

  • Morals Vs. Selfishness

    1389 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shukhov is a likeable and yet somewhat naïve fellow who is just like everybody else. In fact, what really makes this book remarkable is not Shukhov himself. What makes it special is that, even though at first glance the story may seem to be about Shukhov, it is actually a tale of events and common occurrences that could happen to anyone. The book is not just a detail of one day in the life of Ivan, it is a relatable story of what could happen to anyone shoved into a Russian prison camp. Ivan’s life in the book is shown to be nothing more than a picture of the thousands of lives that were lost or destroyed in the Stalinist camps. Ivan Denisovich Shukhov is not one character, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov is the picture of “anyman.” Using the depiction of the beliefs, hopes, and need to survive that would arise in a common prisoner Solzhenitsyn creates a story of the victory of humane principles over corruption.

    Read More

  • Grapes of Wrath

    1194 Words  | 3 Pages

    Using the symbol of the camps, Steinbeck illustrates the illusion of communism. The idea of communism is working together. The migrant camps are described as “a world” (ch.17; 265) and in the mornings are “torn down like a circus” (ch.17; 265). Through the illusion of Communistic ideas in the camp, the migrants are able to escape the realities of Capitalism. The camps are the migrants’ own worlds, created on the idea of a better life in California. Comparing the camps to a circus indicates the camps stand as an illusion, because like a circus, it is an escape from reality. Circus performers create an alternate world in the stunts and acts they perform. The description of the camps shows the reader the migrants’ illusion of Communism against the reality of Capitalism. The description of the Weedpatch camp is another of Steinbeck’s examples of Communism. As the Joads come across the camp, they notice “a high wire fence fac[ing] the road and a wide-gated driveway turn[ing] in” (ch. 22; 389). The fence separates the camp from the real worl...

    Read More

  • Romanticism: Human's Connection With Nature In 'Snowbound'

    1599 Words  | 4 Pages

    As characters in the poem are literally snow bound, they find that the natural occurrence actually serves a relaxing and warming purpose, one that brings together family. This effect is further achieved through the use of meter throughout the work as a whole. In its simplistic yet conversational tone, the author uses meter to depict the result that nature has forced upon these humans, who are but a small sample size that actually is representative of society that that time. Due to nature, the characters can talk, represented by the conversational meter, and thus, they can bond within the family. A larger representation of this more specific example can be applied to a more general perspective of human’s relationship with the natural world. Although “Snowbound” captures what humans do as a result of nature, it can also represent a larger picture, where nature appears at the most opportune times to enhance relationships from human to human. In “snowbound,” this is symbolized by the fire, “Our warm hearth seemed blazing free” (Whittier 135). This image relays a spirited, warm, mood full of security, which is expertly used by the author to show how fire, a natural phenomena, can provide such beneficial effects on humans. This very occurrence exemplifies how such a miniscule aspect of nature can have such a profound effect on a family, leaving the reader wondering what nature and its entirety could accomplish if used as a

    Read More

  • Use of Nature in Chopin's Awakening and Langston Hughes' Poems

    2013 Words  | 5 Pages

    Langston Hughes and Kate Chopin use nature in several dimensions to demonstrate the powerful struggles and burdens of human life. Throughout Kate Chopin's The Awakening and several of Langston Hughes' poems, the sweeping imagery of the beauty and power of nature demonstrates the struggles the characters confront, and their eventual freedom from those struggles. Nature and freedom coexist, and the characters eventually learn to find freedom from the confines of society, oneself, and finally freedom within one's soul. The use of nature for this purpose brings the characters and speakers in Chopin's and Hughes' works to life, and the reader feels the life and freedom of those characters.

    Read More

  • Prisoners And Prisons In Varlam Shalamov's Kolyma Tales

    1120 Words  | 3 Pages

    Political prisoners and criminals alike were subject to brutal conditions in the Soviet gulags at Kolyma in the 20th century. In Varlam Shalamov’s Kolyma Tales, the stories of many different prisoners are told and much is revealed about how humans react under these pressures, both naturally and socially. Being in an extreme environment not only takes a toll on one’s physical well-being, but on one’s mental and emotional state as well. The stories show that humans can be reduced to a fragile, animalistic state while in the Kolyma work camps because the extreme conditions force many men to focus solely on self-preservation.

    Read More

  • Vivisection

    1555 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the late 1930’s while the United States was going through The Great Depression the Soviet Union was going through its own turbulent times. This would be known as the Moscow Show Trials, which took place under the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The book Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler takes place during this time period. The main character Nicholas Rubashov has been imprisoned even though he always has been loyal to the goals of the party (Koestler). This showed a shift that was happening in the country and an attempt by Stalin to eliminate any possible opposition even if they were heroes in the revolution. In the text two different concepts come to light vivisection morality where the party comes before the individual and anti-vivisection morality where the individual is sacred. Rubashov in the beginning does not embrace individualism however throughout the novel he begins to adopt individualism that he refers to as grammatical fiction. Vivisection morality is never a justifiable political system. Suppressing the rights of human beings is not only inhumane but also counter productive in creating an effective and wealthy society.

    Read More

  • The Significance Of Setting In The Novel 'One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich'

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel focuses on one man, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, as he tries to survive another day in the Soviet Union with dignity and compassion. The action takes place at a prison camp in Russia in the northeastern region called Ekibastuz. The location is pounded by snow, ice and winds of appalling and shocking force during winter and lasted for many weeks. The camp is very isolated as it consists double rows of barbed wire fencing around the entire area, making sure it is fully concealed and private, so that no prisoners can escape. The conditions of the camp are very harsh. It is a union where camp prisoners have to earn their food by working hard in their inadequate clothing during the extremely cold weather. Living conditions are almost unbearable; heavy mattresses do not include sheets, as an alternative it is stuffed with sawdust, prisoners only eat two hundred grams of bread per meal and guards would force prisoners to remove their clothing for body searches at temperatures of forty below zero. The building walls are covered in dull and monotonous white paint and it was untidy and unpleasant. “It’s constant chaos, constant crowds and constant confusion” shows that ceilings are most likely coated with frost and men at the tables are packed as tight and it was always crowded. Rats would diddle around the food store, because of the incredibly unhygienic and filthy environment the camp is and it was so insanitary that some men would die from horrible diseases. “Men trying to barge their way through with full trays” suggests that the living conditions are very harsh indeed and mealtimes would be chaotic, as every famished men would be rushing to receive food. However, not only did the place cause the prisoners to suffer and lose their...

    Read More

  • Thematic Analysis Of 'One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich'

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the 20th century, many countries were ruled by totalitarian leaders who were ready to commit many horrible deeds in order to achieve their goals. Josef Stalin, the leader of Soviet Union between 1924 and 1953, is the perfect example of a despotic ruler, who was responsible for the deaths of millions of people. He believed that communism would transform the Soviet Union into a perfect nation, with an ideal society where everyone would be treated equally. However, in order to achieve this perfection, all external and, more importantly, internal enemies had to be destroyed. Instead of a perfect nation, Stalin created a system, which was based on fear and denunciation, where killing of the so-called "enemies of the nation" became a sport, where Stalin's representatives competed against each other on the basis of the number of "enemies" killed. Throughout almost three decades, millions of innocent people were either killed or put into labour camps. The author of the book himself, was sentenced to eight years in a concentration camp for his anti-Soviet views, which he expressed in writing, and through the characters of his novel, Solzhenitsyn portrays his personal beliefs. Most of the characters in "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" are innocent people, who have never done anything reprehensible. Among them is Gopchik, a sixteen-year-old boy who was sentenced to 10 years in concentration camp for giving milk to Ukrainian nationalist rebels, and Aleshka the Baptist who received twenty-five years for his religious beliefs. The protagonist of the novel, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, is a simple man without any heroic qualities. He is a former carpenter who was sent off to the battlefield during the World War II. After being captured by the Germans, Ivan and five of his fellow soldiers were able to escape and return to the Soviet military base. However, three of them were killed instantly, mistaken for German soldiers while the fourth soldier died from wounds a couple of days later. Although Ivan Denisovich was not shot, he was arrested and accused of being a German spy. Even though he was innocent, he had to confess during the interrogation, because he understood that he would be shot immediately if he did not. As a result, he was sentenced to ten years in a Siberian concentration camp for betraying Soviet Union. The Soviet labour camps represented a small-scale totalitarian nation, where wardens were the despotic rulers who frequently abused the prisoners.

    Read More

  • If This Is a Man, by Primo Levi

    1111 Words  | 3 Pages

    Setting out with his arrest by the fascist militia in December of 1943, the text conforms to Primo Levi’s experience in the succeeding twelve months as an inmate in the National Socialists’ Monowitz- Buna concentration camp, seven kilometers east of Auschwitz. Upon arriving in the camp, the first-person narrator, Primo Levi, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, embarks on a world that renders him astonished; simply by making literary notes to Dante’s Inferno can he manage to draw its contours. After the degrading intake procedures, he actualizes that the objective of the place to which they have been brought is the psychological and physical devastation of the inmates. Inmate Levi, “Number 174517,” discovers more about the camp and the inhumane circumstances there....

    Read More

  • Material Existence And Ignorance In The Bet By Anton Chekhov

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through the prisoner’s passage of fifteen years in solitary confinement, the author had begun to reveal the themes that would become so important in the rest of the story. When the prisoner first comes into imprisonment, the books that he read are described as “principally of a light character; novels with a complicated love plot, sensational and fantastic stories”(Chekhov 2). As time goes on, the books that he read become different, changing shape as his personality changes. The banker compares his final book choices to “a man swimming in the sea among the

    Read More

More about Solzhenitsyn And Nature

Open Document