One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Dehumanization Essay

The refreshing One mean solar day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich follows the life of a prisoner in a Siberian labor camp during the communist period. Although the novel only describes one day in the life of this prisoner, the author succeeds at making the motifs that chance most resemblingly each day clear to the reader. A major motif in the novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich create verbally by Alexander Solzhenitsyn is dehumanization Ivan Denisovich Shukhov is striped of his humanity because he is do by similarly to the way an animal would be treated.He is given instructions every second of the day, and has no say in how to live his life. Dehumanization occurs when people view others as less than human, therefore not giving them the moral heed they deserve as humans. In this particular Stalinist labor camp, in which the main(prenominal) character Ivan Denisovich Shukhov is imprisoned, the officers be instructed to attack the prisoners dignity, therefore they are taking away their humanity, treating them like they would treat a cattle, not people. As soon as the novel begins, so does Shukhovs day.When he opens his eyes, he already knows how the day will proceed, because all days are the same. He must go for breakfast at the same time every other prisoner does. This shows that he doesnt train a say in when to do things, even such a basic need that m all take for granted. withal he does not complain, this is due to the fact that food is valuable to him and he has limited access to it. The prisoners are not only instructed when to eat, just they also drop to compete for food, the same way a group of chickens would fight for some grain.This fact is clearly shown when the narrator describes the scene shortly before Shukhov receives his meal, the cook shouted through the hatch, and people were shoving at him from the other side (86). This shows how the workers have to fight to their food, as if they were savages. The cooks treat the men like one would treat a red hot throwing food among a large crowd, thus making the dogs fight for their food. This is inhumane and takes away the prisoners dignity.It is just one of the m whatsoever meals that Shukhov will have during his stay in the labor camp that represent the motif of dehumanization, and not only that, also humiliation. As humiliating as it is, the prisoners are grateful for any type of meal they get, A bowl of thin cabbage soup, half burned, was as wel surveil to them as rain to parched earth. Theyd swallow it in one gulp. That bowl of soupit was dearer than freedom, dearer than life itself, past, present, and future (126). The prisoners minds are set the way an animals mind is, they only think about food, and it is their main reason for living.They have stepped to the level of an animal and lost their humanity and any hope in achieving anything else in their life. Another way in which the prisoners in this novel were demeand was the fact that they could not own a nything that the officers found too dangerous. However, the officers took advantage of this and would not give the laborers any freedom. For example, Shukhov had to hide a loaf of bread in his mattress so he doesnt get punished in one of the daily searches, Stich, stich, stich, and the little tear in the mattress was ended, with the bread concealed under it (25).This proves that the prisoners feared the officers, and the consequences that would come with not following the directions. Another way that the prisoners identity was taken away from them was that they were assigned numbers for easy identification, in an effort to dehumanize them. By numbering them they were once again treated like animals, a way that cows are labeled on a farm, and not like individual humans. To continue, officers in the camp play a big role in the dehumanization process of the prisoners. The officers are in charge and treat the workers without any respect.The guards use forced labor and cruelty to dehuman ize the workers. This is shown when the narrator himself compares the workers to animals, the fellows bringing the mortar were winded like horses (124). The prisoners were not only compared to horses, but also mules, hawks, and wolves. The officers treated the workers as if they were animals, therefore, they did not see them as human beings. This is shows when the narrators says, He wouldnt treat us like human beings now let him burst himself cheering (118).The officers looked at the prisoners as less than humans. The officers were the ones that took away the prisoners identity and humanity In conclusion, a key motif in the novel, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich written by Alexander Solzhenitsyn is dehumanization. Prisoners in this novel are treated not as humans should be treated but as animals. They are gathered in crowds to be fed and counted. In this way the officers strip them of their identity and their humanity. Leaving behind only humiliation and disrespect.