41 pages • 1 hour read
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
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Character Analysis
Ivan Denisovich Shukhov
Ivan Denisovich Shukhov is the protagonist and the namesake of the novel. He is a 40-year-old man who has served eight years of his 10-year sentence in a forced labor camp in the far north of the Soviet Union. Previously, he served in the Soviet Army during WWII, where he was captured by German soldiers. He managed to escape, but the Soviets accused him of returning to spy for the Germans. He confessed to high treason because he knew he would be killed if he didn’t. He has adapted to life in the forced labor camp, and he questions whether he wants freedom because he does not want to live in exile far away from his family. His wife and two daughters live in Temgenovo; his son is deceased.
Shukhov is depicted as caring and practical with a strong work ethic and sense of morality. He forbade his wife from sending him packages because he did not want to take supplies away from his children. Shukhov’s caring nature is also demonstrated through his affection for Gopchik. His practicality is shown in his refusal to let potentially useful items go to waste, as when he risks severe punishment to smuggle in the hacksaw blade. Although Shukov is adept at performing favors and odd jobs, he does not attempt to bribe or manipulate anyone. He prefers to earn his rewards through hard work.
Over the course of the novel, Shukhov experiences a subtle character arc that is driven by the plot. He is ill when he wakes up, and he has a resentful attitude. Both his health and his attitude shift throughout the day as he experiences various strokes of luck—getting extra portions of food, smuggling the hacksaw blade, and earning favors from Tzesar. By the end of the day, he feel healthy and fortunate, and he is sympathetic toward Fetuikov and Alyosha. His character arc emphasizes The Power of the Human Spirit; although he lives in horrible circumstances, he is able to find contentment through morality, work, and solidarity with his fellow prisoners.
Andrei Tiurin and Pavlo
Tiurin and Pavlo are the squad leader and the deputy squad leader of the 104th. Tiurin is described as a serious man who is serving his second term. He previously served in the military but was discharged after someone discovered his father was a kulak. Pavlo assists Tiurin and takes lower-level leadership roles, such as handing out extra portions of food or leading the squad into the dining hall.
Squad leaders play an important role in the lives of their squad members. Tiurin appears to be a particularly good leader. He prioritizes his duties and effectively secures benefits for the squad, including saving them from going to the Socialist Way of Life Settlement and manipulating the work report to ensure they receive larger rations. In return for his protection, the squad members are loyal and provide him with supplies to bribe the guards.
Tiurin and Pavlo develop The Power of the Human Spirit by attempting to provide better conditions for their squad so that the members have an easier time and better attitude. They also show solidarity by not abusing their positions of power.
Buinovsky and Fetuikov
Buinovsky and Fetuikov are prisoners in the 104th. Buinovsky is a relatively new prisoner who has not yet fully adapted to the environment, while Fetuikov is the lowest-ranking member of the 104th. At first glance Buinovsky and Fetuikov appear to be opposites. Buinovsky is strong willed and well liked by his fellow prisoners; Fetuikov on the other hand is considered lazy and self-serving. Shukhov is consistently annoyed by Fetuikov and avoids showing him kindness.
However, despite their opposing temperaments, both men prove equally unsuited to the extreme conditions of the forced labor camp. Buinovsky fits in well among the prisoners, but he mildly rebels against the prison system and the guards. He is caught wearing a contraband vest, and he talks back to the guards and accuses them of not acting “like Communists.” At lunch, Buinovsky’s hesitation to go back out into the cold foreshadows his ultimate failure to survive:
Though he didn’t know it, moments like this were particularly important to him, for they were transforming him from an eager, confident naval officer with a ringing voice into an inert, though wary, zek. And only in that inertness lay the chance of surviving the twenty-five years of imprisonment he’d been sentenced to (81).
Buinovsky is given 10 days in the guardhouse at the end of the novel, which is understood to be a death sentence. Fetuikov manages to stay out of trouble, but Shukhov knows he won’t “live to see the end of his stretch. His attitude was all wrong” (144). Both characters help develop the theme of Survival and Solidarity Under Extreme Conditions.
Gopchik, Tzesar Markovich, and Senka Klevshin
Gopchik, Tzesar, and Senka are members of the 104th who have each found their own way to adapt to the labor camp’s harsh conditions. Gopchik, a young Ukrainian prisoner, is eager to fit in with the squad—”He was like a puppy and he fawned on everyone” (66)—however, he is cunning and preserves his personal food supply by clandestinely eating the food sent to him by his family. Shukhov assumes that Gopchik will succeed within the prison and eventually hold a privileged station as a “bread cutter.”
Tzesar Markovich, a young filmmaker, is a favored member of the 104th squad. He frequently receives packages filled with food and tobacco, so he is able to bribe the prison officials and gets to work in a “cushy” office job. Tzesar is a foil, or contrast, to the other prisoners who are shown favoritism, such as Der and the Limper. Despite his special treatment, Tzesar is kind and loyal to his fellow prisoners. He lives with them and shares his food and tobacco with them, either out of kindness, as he does with Buinovsky, or in return for favors, such as those performed by Shukhov. His behavior and attitude support the concept of solidarity among the prisoners.
Senka is “a quiet, luckless fellow” who is deaf in one ear (57). He is portrayed as humble, helpful, and loyal; he shows solidarity when he refuses to leave Shukhov behind. Senka has adapted to extreme conditions with humility. Unlike Buinovsky, he does what he is told and never complains. Senka’s solidarity and morality aligns him most closely with Shukhov, but he differs from Shukhov in that he does not attempt to manipulate situations or break the rules.
Pantaleyev, Der, and the Limper
Pantaleyev, Der, and the Limper are prisoners, but they are shown favoritism by the guards. Pantaleyev, a “squealer,” avoids work by giving the guards details about individuals who are breaking the rules. Pantaleyev reports to the guards in the morning with information, and he is given one of the two allotted sick call slots available. This means that if he had not “squealed,” Shukhov might have been able to rest on sick call. Pantaleyev’s wellness is confirmed when he comes to the mess hall for supper; “Pantaleyev slopped into the mess hall. Nothing wrong with him, the son-of-a-bitch” (134). By squealing, Pantaleyev risks his life, as the prisoners have killed squealers in the past. He represents prisoners who are desperate enough to risk their lives for personal gain.
Der is described as “a convict himself but a foreman, the swine, who treated his fellow prisoners worse than dogs” (53). Der appears as the 104th are laying bricks after he notices the roofing felt they used to cover the windows. He confronts Tiurin, and Tiurin threatens Der’s life, effectively silencing him. Although he is wary of Tiurin’s threat, Der is arrogant and craves power; as such, he criticizes Shukhov’s work. He is disliked both for the favoritism he is shown and for his haughtiness—“The camp authorities didn’t insist on his doing any real hard work, he received top-level rations, he lived in a separate cabin—what else did he want?” (101). Similar to Der, the Limper represents favored prisoners who feel superior to their peers. He is classified as having a disability because he has a limp, and he has been assigned as the mess orderly. He keeps the prisoners from forcing their way into the mess hall by beating them with a club. He “would his anyone who came up the steps without his say-so. No, not anyone […] He hit the down-and-outs. Once he hit Shukhov” (130).
Panteleyev, Der, and the Limper are minor characters who help develop Survival and Solidarity Under Extreme Conditions. They are not malicious individuals but are doing what they feel they must to survive. The prison officials allow for this favoritism, and the disparity in the treatment of the prisoners discourages solidarity.
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