Self discipline and willpower in "The sound of waves" by Yukio Mishima and "One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich" by Alaxander Solzhenitsyn.

shone through the blackness to prove that he was smiling. ’I'll do it,' he shouted clearly." (Mishima 161) Shinji’s response indicates his sense of responsibility associated with being a fisherman. Shinji’s responsibility associated with being a fisherman proves to be greater than the difficulty of the dangerous tasks which shows his discipline in his work. In addition, Shinji’s strong willpower is revealed as he accepts the difficult task with excitement and firmness even though he is afraid. Furthermore, even though Shinji’s mother has a painful job of diving she realizes the importance of providing food for her family is more significant. Shinji’s mother endures the physical, “wounds inflicted on the tips of the toes when kicking off against the sea’s bottom, with its carper of sharp-edged shells, to rise to the surface…” (136) Evidently, Shinji’s mother has strong willpower as she tolerates the wounds on herself in order for the survival of her family, fulfilling her responsibility as a mother. Similarly, the characters in Ivan Denisovich demonstrate their disciplinary willpower by taking upon the responsibility in the Gulag Camp. In the cold winter, Shukhov maintains his good work ethics in building the power plant wall, not allowing any sloppy completion. When Palvo misplaces a brick, Shuknov, “grabbed a brick from Pavlo and laid it himself [and] Senka was doing the wrong thing [Shukhov] dashed over and straitened things out with a couple if bricks.” (Solzhenitsyn, 86) Although Shukhov is sick from the cold weather and he is not required create a great wall, he takes full ownership of his job and makes sure he does it properly. Alike Shinji who is a fisherman, Shukhov also demonstrates self-discipline by the way in taking responsibility, despite his unbearable condition, as a prisoner.  Moreover, the prisoners complete their tasks to the best of their ability even though the situation of the camps is unbearable.  The prisoners work hard for their food since, “their bellies were held in by rope belts. The cold was fierce. There was no shelter and no fire.” (47) The prisoners have strong willpower as they show persistence in completing their tasks in these severe conditions. The prisoners maintain willpower to survive in the camp, similar to Shinji’s mother who endures the physical pain in order to protect her family. Overall, the characters in both novels have strong self-discipline and willpower as shown through their ability to successfully undertake responsibility even in the most challenging situations.