Summary Of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich
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Alexander Solzhenitsyn lived in the USSR regime, and fought in World War II. In 1945, however, he was arrested due to some letters he had written to a friend. As Ivan mentions on the book, these are checked, and he had criticized Joseph Stalin, which resulted to years in prisons and labour camps, plus three years of exile. In the novel, it is clear that he is more than simply telling Shukhov's tale, he is recounting his own experiences and exposing the truth to the world. In 1956, when Solzhenitsyn was allowed back in Russia, he decided to pursue his lifelong dream of writing a book. At that time, no one truly knew what went on in a Gulag, it was censored, as were the political crimes. The book One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, his first book, was a huge shock in the Russian country at the time. It showed the world the harsh truth of the torture that went on in these camps.…show more content… It is more of a report. Shukhov's day is shown and his thoughts. We also encounter other prisoner's stories and views. There are also some flashbacks in which the characters talk about how they got there, their crimes and their lives before the Gulag. In the end, Solzhenitsyn clearly emphasizes that this is not one of the harsher days, and that it is just one more for them, with this section: "A day without a dark cloud. Almost a happy day. There were three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days like that in his stretch. From the first clang of the rail to the last clang of the rail. Three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days." (pg. 167). This is his way of showing that his intention was to recount and expose the reality and injustice that the men