In One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Alexander Solzhenitsyn uses irony to depict the social hierarchy created within the gulag, the harshness and cruelty of Russian prison life, the social hierarchy within the gulag and the attempt to destroy human solidarity to convey the theme of the endurance of humanity. ... The use of irony is also used in the novel to depict the harshness and cruelty of Russian prison life. When Solzhenitsyn writes of how the prisoners are forced to go out in the blistering cold to be counted numerous times displays the callous life in the gulag... zhenitzyn us...

• Word Count: 1052
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate