Second, the two novels use personal attitudes as a factor in the characters’ struggle for survival. In One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, the prisoners had hope. Ivan, personally, lived each day and tried to make the best out of life in prison. He had a positive attitude toward the prison because he focused on only the positive events that occurred during his day. He did not complain about the negative events that occurred, he only had pure determination to get through it. “Shukov complained about nothing: neither about the length of his stretch, nor about the length of the day, nor about their swiping another Sunday. This was all he thought about now: we'll survive. We'll stick it out, God willing, till it's over.” (Ivan 117) He did not dwell on the fact that he was a prisoner, only on living each day to the fullest. In the novel, it mentioned that if you did not have the right attitude toward surviving then you would not make it. "You couldn't help feeling sorry for him if you thought about it. He’d never live out his time in the camp. His attitude was all wrong." (Ivan 125) Only prisoners with the right attitudes could survive the camp. Another way that Ivan showed hope for the future was the fact that he counted down the days until he was free. "Nothing had spoiled the day and it had been almost happy. There were three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days like this in his sentence, from reveille to lights out. Three extra ones were because of the leap years.” (Ivan 203) Hope has a lot to do with having a positive attitude and staying optimistic. Similar to how Solzhenitsyn used Ivan’s hopeful attitude as a factor in his struggle for survival, Kafka used Gregor’s selfless attitude. Gregor did not have a positive attitude toward his situation. Gregor’s ultimate goal in life was to help his family. He wished to cause them as little harm as possible even if it meant causing him pain. He was the most unselfish character in the novel because he did nothing for himself and everything for others. Before the metmorphosis he was the lead breadwinner in the family, they all depended on him. After the transformation help as much as his prison of a body would let him. For example, he was afraid that his sister was intimidated by his appearance, so he hid himself under the couch so as not to frighten her. Therefore, when his family was talking about the agony and disgrace Gregor was causing the family, Gregor lost the will to live. “His conviction that he would have to disappear was, if possible, even firmer than his sister’s.” (Metamorphosis 54) He wished to die, solely to please his family. In this situation, Gregor, in order to survive, must be selfish and because he is unable to do that, he perishes. The prisoners and Gregor have opposite attitudes toward survival. Both Ivan and Gregor are just looking out for what they think is the most important in their lives; in Gregor’s case it is his family and for Ivan it is life itself. The personal attitude of characters in these two novels has a huge impact on their survival.
Lastly, the two novels show that food is a necessity for survival. The prisoners in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich viewed food as a blessing and an item that they should cherish. Prisoners took their time while eating to savor the precious taste. Their minds were focused on filling their stomachs. Food was an essential element of survival and Ivan Denisovich, as well as the other prisoners, devoted most of his skills and ability to keeping his stomach well fed. Prisoners will fight for the last scrap of food and would eat up every last crumb that was left, because food was scarce and was likely the cause of many lost lives. “Not leaving a single scale or speck of flesh on the skeleton, Shukhov crunched and sucked the bones and spit them out on the table. He didn’t leave anything – not even the gills or the tail.” (Ivan 17) Also, when they were eating was when they are allowed free time for themselves. "Apart from sleeping, the prisoners’ time was their own only for ten minutes at breakfast, five minutes at the noon break, and another five minutes at supper." (Metamorphosis 24) Food is also of great importance in The Metamorphosis. The only thing that Gregor’s family attempted to help him with was meals, his sister would enter his room to give him food even if it frightened her. He found that his new body was very picky about what it could eat, or wished to eat, so when he chose to eat something he devoured it. “He devoured the cheese, the vegetables, and the sauce; the fresh foods, on the other hand, he did not care for; he couldn’t even stand their smell and even dragged the things he wanted to eat a bit farther away.” (Metamorphosis 54) This method of eating is very unhealthy and contributed to his deteriorating physical health. The lack of food in both novels is a large problem for the main characters. It is important in the way that it both gives and takes life. This is most obvious in the case of the apple lodged in Gregor’s side, but is also noticed in the bad eating habits of the characters. Yet again we see both authors giving us a similar message through different characters.
In conclusion, the majority of the prisoners and Gregor struggle for survival in different ways. The prisoners form strong bonds with one another, whereas Gregor is isolated from his family and from society. Ivan and some other prisoners have hope for the future. Gregor on the other hand is unselfish to the point of allowing himself to die. Nutritional health is also a large issue, many people in Stalinist labour camps died of starvation and bad hygene, similar to the death of Gregor. Solzhenitsyn and Kafka both approach the struggle for survival in different ways to convey the purpose of the novels. The authors to pass similar messages onto the readers use these two different characters. They are both showing us the pivotal aspects of survival; dependence, the necessities (such as food) and personal attitude.
Bibliography
Example Essays “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and The Metamorphosis.”
http://www.exampleessays.com/viewpaper.php?request=13806 (Retrieved 21 May 2004.)
“Gregor’s Prison.” http://www.majorweather.com/mudd/satire/helms.htm (Retrieved 21 May 2004).
Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Toronto: Bantam Books, 1986.
Planet Papers “Metamorphosis-alienation.” http://www.planetpapers.com/Assets/1005.php (Retrieved 21 May 2004.)
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. New York: Bantam Books, 1990.
Survival in the Face of Oppression In Solzhennitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and Kafka’s The Metamorphosis
Scott Donnelly
May 2004
Word Count: 1459
