Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Fifth Edition - October 9, 2015 - Written by Kammie Harn
About Ivan Denisovich
Ivan Denisovich has been sentenced to ten years in a labor camp in Siberia. Ivan is on the downhill side of his sentence, he only has two years left. Within the past eight years, Ivan has been in numerous different camps, doing many different jobs. Before Ivan was sentenced to labor camps, he was a pretty average guy. He has a wife and kids back at home, in the village. They don't have much money, but they have just enough to get by. Ivan won't allow his wife to send him gifts or mail while he's in the labor camp because he knows that they need the money at home. He said, "Freedom meant on thing -- home. But they won't let me go home."
Location: Siberia
Various Different Jobs that the Prisoners had to do --
Help Wanted - Carrying Dishes & Supplies from Camp to Work Cite!
Talk to your gang bosses for more information. Helping out could reduce your sentence!
Dear Ivan Column
Dear Ivan,
I'm also in a work camp. I was wondering what your secret is. How do you get by on a day to day basis?
-Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
I have no secret. It is hard. Seeing my friends get packages from home is very sad. I told my wife not to send me gifts because they need the money at home, but sometimes I envy the others. Getting by daily isn't easy. Knowing that everyday here is another day closer to being back home with my family is what keeps me going.
Best Regards,
Ivan
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Inspiration from Ivan
- "Yes, you live with your feet in the mud and there's no time to be thinking about how you got in or how you're going to get out."
- "You should rejoice that you're in prison. Here you have time to think about your soul."
- "Work was like a stick. It had two ends. When you worked for the knowing you gave them quality; when you worked for a fool you simply gave him eyewash."
Working in the Forest
Barracks in the Labor Camp
Working Together to Haul Dirt
Buchenwald
Buchenwald was one of the labor camps that Ivan was in. The picture above is of the entrance going into Buchenwald and there are some detailed pictures below.
Roll Call
This is what it looked like when everyone was called out of the barracks for roll call.
Barracks
This is a picture of the barracks in Buchenwald. As you can see, these beds are really just oversized shelves on the wall.
Surprise Roll Call
Sometimes, they would do a surprise roll call in the middle of the night to make sure all of the prisoners were still there.