Ivan Denisovich is a prisoner in the Siberian labor camps of the Stalin era. His crime? Being captured by the Germans in WWII and living. Of course, he must be a spy and therefore he must be shot if he doesn’t confess or confess and be sentenced to a Siberian prison at hard labor for ten years. He chooses the latter. To say that the conditions are terrible would be like saying… well, there really isn’t anything to compare it to. How any human being can survive the cold (-40 at night and possibly 0 during the day), the lack of food, the lack of adequate clothing, the lack of proper living quarters, the lack of… everything.
The story covers literally one day in Ivan Denisovich’s life in the eighth year of his sentence. He doesn’t dare think about having only two years to go. They could easily tack on another ten years for the smallest infraction of the rules. If he does get out, he would probably be exiled and never be able to see his family again. No, it’s best not to think about anything at all except getting through the next hour, the next minute. The prisoners neither hope nor despair. They just survive the best that they can.
Whereas Corrie ten Boom and Robinson Crusoe have God to lean on and have His grace to carry on, the prisoners, or zeks, have nothing but their wits and the alliances they form with people who can provide in some way for them. The prisoner Alyosha is a Christian and professes some of the same views that Betsie ten Boom does about being thankful for any circumstance. He is thankful for being in prison because there he can concentrate on his soul instead of daily cares. He quotes Saint Paul stating that he’d rather be bound or even die for the sake of Jesus Christ. Most of the others don’t see it that way. It is a difficult path but the end of life in this world is death. Isn’t it better to lay up your treasure in Heaven?
Now, I’m not saying that being in prison anywhere is a good thing and what Stalin and the Soviets did to their own people is abominable. But Ivan Denisovich tries to hang on to his humanity by taking pride in the work that he is assigned, in this case, building a concrete wall. He measures and plans, is creative in the way he puts all the materials together, works diligently, and makes sure the others working with him are doing a good job too. At the end of this day in his life he has some satisfaction in his efforts and is grateful that he didn’t end up in the cells today. Tomorrow, who knows?
In these books there are characters who we can hold up as heroes, as role models. They rely on the strength of God to see them through. In this time we can easily feel that we are in prison, are put upon and deprived of our freedom. In reality it is no where as bad as the trials these characters faced, but it can feel that way. Who do we turn to when we can’t go on, when another step seems impossible? Where is our treasure?
Hi Judie! This is Judi. Thanks for sharing this. These books are heavy reading, but they instruct us in trusting God and help us to really look at ourselves. I recently read two books that you might like. The first one (and most impactful from a Christian perspective) is "Trapped in Hitler's Hell" by Anita Dittman. It is the story of a very young Jewish girl who discovers the Messiah while in a Nazi work camp. It was riveting. Would I have her faith and fortitude? I honestly don`t know. From a different perspective, but really powerful, was "D-day Girls, the Spies Who Armed the Resistance" by Sarah Rose. Written in a unique format, it follows the progress of the major players and how their paths crossed as they became spies in the Resistance. It drew me in to each one of these brave and talented women's lives. Not all of them made it out alive. Why do we never learn about these real heroes, women of tenacity and faith? I borrowed these from the library, but will be buying them for my own collection. Thanks and happy reading!!
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