As Ivan Denisovich Shukhov describes his day as a political prisoner in the Russian gulag, he sheds light on the horrid conditions prisoners are forced to live through and their consequences for his humanity. The prisoners are only fed enough to keep them going. Every meal is a form of oatmeal or stew. Most of their meals are “cold- [they were] tasteless even when hot, and left you no sense of having filled your belly” (Solzhenitsyn 17). While mealtime may not be satisfying, Shukhov still utilizes more manners than most of the men in the prison. He fashioned a spoon out of “aluminum wire,” which he uses at every meal (16). He also always removes his hat before eating as a sign of respect that he learned growing up (16). These simple, yet polite and respectful actions hint to the reader that Ivan Denisovich has not regressed into a crude …show more content…
No matter how starved Shukhov becomes, he does not stoop down to the point where he would lick the scraps out of other’s bowls. He makes clear that “he would never lower himself like that Fetiukov, he would never look at a man’s mouth” expecting to receive some kind of food or cigarette remnants (29). By giving in to crude urges of hunger and greed, one lowers himself or herself, eventually to the point when one is no longer human. Not only do the prison guards and leaders oppress the prisoners at mealtime, but also throughout the day in the forced-work camps. The prisoners are herded off, through the Siberian winter, to their working sights, as if they were cattle. Any deviation from their marching order could result in being killed (37). Once he arrives at his working sight, it is too cold for Ivan Denisovich to begin building the power station. Instead, he and the members of his squadron must devise plans to keep the cold out of the power station, or else they might freeze to death. Even though the reality of the work camp is harsh, Shukhov works hard and takes