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Karla Llompart World Literature Paper 2

January 26, 2012

The Flaws of the Communist Government: Survival at Its Best Solzhenitsyn uses the characters of Shukhov and Fetyukov to illustrate the flaws in the communist government. Solzhenitsyn makes a political commentary of the communist government showing how Stalin took true communists, put them in prison labor camps and turned them into capitalists. He portrays these flaws through the counterexamples of Shukhov and Fetyukov. Characterization of Shukhov is shown through his methods of survival in the prison labor camp, which differ greatly from those of most men the in camp. Solzhenitsyn exhibits a conflict in that Shukhov epitomizes communism, yet he was still sent to the labor camp. In order to survive, Shukhov must keep his dignity intact. He does not want to stoop to a lower level and lose his self-respect. Shukhov is the antithesis of Fetyukov. Shukhov knows that he does not want to become Fetyukov and that if he does, he will perish as a consequence of losing all pride in himself. This is why he views Fetyukov as odious and shameless and speaks of him with a tone of disgust: That scavenger Fetyukov was there too, leeching onto Tzesar, standing right in front of him and staring hot-eyed at his mouth(pg. 31). The tone that Shukhov uses towards Fetyukov shows how repugnant he finds him. Shukhov uses negative diction to describe Fetyukov and his behavior, choosing words such as scavenger and leeching to show his repulsion towards him. Fetyukov and Shukhov have a similarity in that they both share great urges; for example, to ask someone for the last drag of their cigarette. However, they differ in the fact that Shukhov does not act upon these urges, as Fetyukov does, in order to

preserve his dignity. Right then he seemed to yearn for the butt more than life itself, but he wouldnt lower himself like Fetyukov, wouldnt look at Tzesars mouth(pg. 31). Shukhov is conscious of Fetyukovs way and knows better than to act like him because Fetyukov does not believe in the dignity of self-respect. Shukhov refuses to lower himself to such a standard due to urges and temptation that are conquerable, namely, because he knows all too well that it would ruin him. Fetyukovs methods of survival are like those of many other men in the camp, the survival methods of capitalists. Before Fetyukov was put into the labor camp, he was an executive, which was not appropriate in the communist government because it was a capitalist job. Solzhenitsyn explains, Fetyukov was supposed to have been a big boss in some office. Went around in a car. When they first worked together, Fetyukov had tried throwing his weight around and shouting at the captain(pg. 62). Fetyukov was a capitalist, earning his spot in the labor camp unlike many other men who lived as true communists but were put in prison anyway. These communist men became capitalists in the labor camp in order to survive, something that Fetyukov already was. Fetyukov has no concern with pride, dignity, or self-respect. He does what he has to do in order to survive and feels no shame in being a scavenger or having to mooch in order to get what he needs or simply desires: Fetyukov couldnt stand it any longer. Tzesar Markovich, he drooled. Save me just one little drag. His face was twitching with greed (pg. 31). Thus it is obvious that, Fetyukov does not bother to fight his urges or avoid temptations in any way. When he wants something, it is not beneath him to beg for it. Although most men are not as careless as Fetyukov, and do not go to his extremes, many of them relate and

mooch for things they want as well. However, there are some men, such as Shukhov and Tzesar, who are put off by Fetyukovs shamelessness and see it as an immoral way of living. Fetyukov does not see it in that light because it is the way of life he has always known. As an executive, he was a capitalist, and now as a capitalist prisoner, he is simply using the same skills for survival. Fetyukov sees it as survival of the fittest, and he is not afraid to do what he finds necessary to survive. On the contrary, Shukhov sets moral standards for himself that fall far from those of most of the men in the camp. Unlike most men in the labor camp, Shukhov finds that working hard gives him a sense of pride. He does not need to take the easy way out of his work because working hard is his method of survival and taking the easy way out does not correspond with his morals and values. Fetyukov, on the other hand, knows how to work the system to get what he wants. Shukhov believes that method of survival to be morally wrong: Shukhov had been knocking around for forty years, hed lost half his teeth and was going bald, but hed never given or taken a bribe and hadnt picked up the habit in the camps(pg. 44). As an honorable man, Shukhov never took bribes. However, some of the communist men that had been converted to survivors by being in the camps had developed a habit of it. Bribes went against Shukhovs morals, which he maintained unlike many in the camp. He demonstrates that by having aspirations. In the cafeteria, he encounters an old man that becomes his role model: With hunched-over lags all around, he was straight-backed as could be. He sat tall as though hed put something on the bench under him The old mans eyes didnt dart around to take in whatever was going on in the mess, but stared blindly at something over Shukhovs head. He was steadily

eating his thin skilly, but instead of almost dipping his head in the bowl like the rest of them, he carried his battered wooden spoon up high(pg. 154). This old man stood out from among the rest of the men because he did not let the tiresome, cold days at the labor camp wear away at his dignity. Everything he did was outside of the normal, because unlike the other men, he could enjoy his meal with out acting as if it were the only meal he has gotten in days. The tone of admiration and diction that Shukhov uses to describe this old man exhibit how fascinated he is with him. Shukhov describes the others as lags compared to him. This old man becomes what Shukhov aspires to be in the camp. Nevertheless, Shukhov knew that he was on the path to becoming this old man because he had already been exhibiting some of his qualities. He suddenly spotted a chance of scrounging a butt: one of the gang, Tzesar, was smoking a cigarette instead of his usual pipe. Shukhov didnt ask straight out though. Just took his stand near Tzesar, half facing him and looking past him(pg. 30). Shukhov has self-worth and would rather not get what he wants than beg for it like Fetyukov. Shukhov has the ability for self-control that helps him maintain his morals and values while working in the camp. In conclusion, Solzhenitsyn is commenting on the flaws of the communist government, not on the communists themselves. These communists are sent to labor camps and transformed into capitalists, and they will do what they have to in order to survive. Solzhenitsyn is showing that everyone survives in their own way, no matter what predicament in which they find themselves. Shukhov chooses to just get through it because that is all that he can do. Solzhenitsyn is saying that sometimes what you have to do is just survive because winning is surviving.

Word count: 1276

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