Survival, Adaptability and Resilience of the Human Spirit in ?One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich?

Abstract

Abstract

Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s ?One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich ? is a book which actually deals with the real story of the protagonist’s struggle for survival and his perseverance under inhumane conditions. What hits the readers the most in this autobiographical novel is that it is more than just a story ? it divulges the catastrophe of one day in the life of a person caught between the chaos of the war and the faceless entity that controls his life. The psychology of continued existence and resilience of the human spirit in the face of a brutalizing environment is part of what has made ?One Day in the Life ??? as a Noble Prize winning book. This little novel fought a big fight and it was because of this book that Solzhenitsyn paid a heavy price and he was forced to live in exile for several decades. The present paper deals with the real story of the protagonist’s struggle for survival and his adaptability under inhumane conditions. In spite of the strong biting winds with frigid climate when the food is barely nutritional enough to keep the prisoners alive, the art of adaptability and resilience in Ivan Denisovich Shukhov helps him learn how to stay warm and make the most out of those brutal conditions in the prison. So, the present paper voices ??Is survival the only and most important goal, or are there limits and ways to what a person can and should do to stay alive?? Shukhov adapted all the qualities necessary to survive. He had confidence, but it was his adaptableness that helped him cope with the realities of this life. The paper portrays a man whose spirit is strong enough to triumph over the most extreme adversity. What is best about this paper is as, in the words of Oscar Wilde ?Although we are all in the gutter, some of us are looking at the stars?.