Candace McKoy ENG 223-001 A World Made of Numbers To Ivan Denisovich, numbers are extremely important.

Time is one of the themes or leitmotifs in the novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. The world for many in these concentration camps came down to numbers. In a communist society like Russia at this time, the focus was not on the individual but rather the group. The use of numbers in this novel supplements this communistic ideology embodied by the author, the narrator, and many Russians. Numbers can be described in several ways in this novel. It describes someones identity, the temperature, and time. It is also used during procedures. These numbers further numb the reader of the characters status as an individual and portray the struggles faced in the world in which these individuals live. First, numbers represent someones identity. Names in this novel are less important in recognizing one person at this camp. This technique forces the reader to focus less on a persons identity but their identity in the whole. An example of this is in how prisoners are referred to. The prisoners are recognized by the first initial of their last name and a number. The use of a single letter shows little distinction between someone named Shukov and someone named Slavsky. The use of numbers further objectifies the prisoners as bodies rather than human beings. Ivan describes the importance of these numbers when having his own ID number, S 854, retouched. He states that the numbers they were assigned were trouble and that if they [the numbers] were distinct the guards could identify you from any distance, but if

you neglected to have them repainted in time youd be sure to land in the guardhouse for not taking care of your number. (39) The men were also grouped together as units numbers and were usually referenced as such by the narrator. This further suggests there is little differentiation among men outside of numbers. The units had to wake up together, work together, and retire back to their barracks together. The head counts administered emphasized the importance of maintaining numbers within a unit as well. If one head was short or if there was one head too many it was the responsibility of guards to replace a missing body, whether it had been there or not. (45) The temperature also controls the lives of the prisoners at the concentration camp. Various studies have proven that weather can affect our behavior. The temperature in this novel affects the mood of and the events of the day. In order for the prisoners to have a day without work, the temperature must be below 40 degrees Celsius. On a day below 40 degrees Celsius, the prisoners would be able to rest. The temperature in this case means not having to go out into the already frigid Siberian air. Temperature is also an issue when Ivan awakens feeling not so well. This temperature, his bodily temperature, also affected how Ivans day would go. According to Vdovushkin, the attending physician, Ivan needed a temperature of one hundred. Yet, a temperature of one hundred or higher would not clear Ivan from work given the spots for the sick list had already been filled. This, accompanied with the low weather temperatures, meant a fight was on. (34) The fight Ivan is referring is the struggle to survive.

Finally, time is also an extra pressure put on the main character and the other characters, which greatly affects their lives. This novel is time sensitive considering it describes one day in the life of Ivan Denisovich. Given the militaristic setting, time and running on schedule is important. Sleeping in one morning resulted in Ivan having to scrub the floors. The number of rations one received often depended on the amount of work completed within a given time period. A couple of ounces [of food] according to Ivan, ruled your life. The lives of these men are time sensitive given that time affects how much you eat and what you do. The men live in a world based on numbers because it is true to a communist society. The uniformity and joint nature of communism is present in this book as the narrator promotes the belief that success and survival are a group effort. This is why Ivan works hard at the construction site and does not mistreat others. If Ivan were to do so, he would be isolating himself, which would hurt his chance of survival.