In the book, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich it is clear that the main character Shukov’s personal pride and dignity are essential to his survival in the Gulag system. Although he is in prison, he still holds true to his morals throughout the entire book. From start to finish, Shukhov is prideful, hardworking and has plenty of dignity. Shukhov is prideful enough not to lower himself to the level of characters who he describes as “dish lickers”. His dignity and work ethic earns him respect and it allows him to earn favors from his fellow inmates. These favors in turn earn him extra food. Even after many years of living the harsh conditions of the Soviet Gulag, Shukov still holds on to his personal pride and dignity. For example, Shukhov…show more content… Shukhov has always been a man with good work ethic. He said that when he gets out he wants to get a job that allows him to be productive and makes him work hard. The text states, “Surely, when he was out, he'd find work as a plumber, a carpenter, or a repair man” (42). Shukhov wants a job that allows him to use his hand and work hard, his level of pride is too high to do something unproductive. This level of good work ethic is demonstrated at the camp when he is working with his squad. The text states, “Shukhov broke into sweat- he hadn't stretched his string over the blocks yet. He was rushing… But Shukhov made no mistakes” (92-93). As you can see, Shukov refuses to see himself as a prisoner, but rather sees the work he does as productive and useful. This motivates him to try his best to increase the squads productivity. Shukhov increasing the squads productivity then allows him to not only help his ability to survive but his squad’s as well. The text states, “A cleverly fixed work report meant good rations for five days” (82). As you can see, when the squad members do a good job it earns them five days of good rations. However, as the result of Shukhov constantly trying to work hard and going the extra mile with his work, it give the squad a better chance to earn extra food. Shukhov puts a lot of pride and effort into his work and it benefits both him and his
