There is several things that are essential for a person to survive. Among these are food, clothing, shelter and a sense of meaning. The book One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich is a graphic portrayal of how Ivan survives in a various difficult situation. "A man with sufficient force, of character not only to preserve his primitive moral sense and feelings of common decency but even to benefit in some small way or ordeal. Shukhov commands pity but also respect." (42-3) By showing the daily routine of one man, Ivan, the book provides us with a picture of how the characters survive life under such harsh conditions. This book shows how people strive for food, clothing, shelter and a meaning. .
The characters in the book each utilize different approaches to cope with the environment. The different characters included the guards, the gang bosses, assistant gang bosses, cooks, squealers, and prisoners. These groups each had their own hierarchy with a common goal of survival. One point that Ivan makes in the book is that they are all prisoners, even the guards. In the book Ivan at one point states that, "if a prisoner escapes the guard would take his place" (Solzhenitsyn, 114). The guards in the book would frequently take out their frustrations on the prisoners, though the gang bosses were the ones who had the real power in the camp. The gang bosses were prisoners as well, but they were the ones in charge of making sure the work was completed and in bribing the guards. At one point Ivan states that a prisoner's survival was dependent on their gang boss. By giving extra food was given to the gang boss, with which the boss would bribe the guards into giving that gang an easier work assignment. .
The number one thing, in Ivan's life is the search for food. The prisoners are given very limited rations. The rations that the prisoners were given were rarely, if ever, the specified weight. At one point Ivan comments, "you were always short weighted, the only point of interest was, by how much" (Solzhenitsyn, 28-29).
