The book One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and the poem “Message To Siberia” by Alexander Pushkin, both share the theme of hope is the force that drives people to keep living while in exile. In One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich the main character Shukhov is exiled from Russia and is forced to work in a slave labor camp. In “Message To Siberia” the poet tells us about the people in the Siberian mine. These people were also in the same situation as Shukhov. Hope and patience will help you through the toughest situations.
In One Day In The Life Of Ivan The Stalinist labor camp in which Shukhov is imprisoned is designed to attack its prisoners’ physical and spiritual dignity. Living conditions are nearly intolerable. Mattresses do not have sheets; prisoners eat only two hundred grams of bread per meal; and guards force prisoners to undress for body searches at temperatures of forty below zero. The labor camp also degrades its prisoners spiritually. Even with all these harsh conditions Shukhov still is patient, and hopes of getting out. This hope helps him to survive and because of this he does not give up on life. Shukhov also takes pride in his work, he does not just blow it off and do poor work.
The poem “Message to Siberia” is like a letter to the people in the Siberian mines who were exiled from Russia such as Alexander Pushkin was. He is telling the people to be patient and not to give up on the rebellion. He also says that hope will help them get out of the mine. He also says that eventually they will all be freed and they will win the rebellion.
These two works are very alike because they both have the theme of hope will help the characters survive. This theme can also be applied to situations in life today. For example, people who are in prison that do not have a life sentence. Like the Stalinist labor camp that Shukhov is in, prisons are designed to attack the prisoners’ spiritual dignity.
Having the hope of being...