Survival trough suffering is a general theme running through the novels. Different forms of survival occur because in different scenarios. In One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, the story takes place in a prison camp, whereas in Crime and Punishment takes place in society. During the course of the two novels, it becomes quite apparent to the reader that some characters have a reason that helps them drive forward through times of suffering. The types of suffering are differentiated for each character and so is their own individual way of tolerating the pain. For example, in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, the main character, Shukov, suffers due to the harshly cold conditions that he has to deal with in the prison camp. In Crime and Punishment, the main character, Raskolnikov, suffers from his guilt which he induces on himself when he realises that killing the old moneylender was wrong.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksand...
raskolnikov
little raskolnikovTherefore, this essay is similar to an investigation into how the main characters of each novel manage to cope with each of their individual sufferings.
In One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, the main character, Shukov, is coping with a tremendous amount pain. 'But try and spend eight years in a 'special'- doing hard labour. No-one's come out of a 'special' alive.' This shows how severe the conditions are as no-one has ever lasted a mere eight years. 'A couple of hundred grams ruled your life.' Here, he tells the reader that a few hundred grams of bread would determine a man's life in that camp showing how little food is given to the prisoners. He is forced to live and work in conditions that would repulse the average person today. 'The belly is a rascal. It doesn't remember how...