The feeling of identity is what defines the human being, what distinguishes each person from the other, is the constitution of an individual. In the novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the author uses information from his personal experiences in Soviet prison camps, or gulags, to create a story explaining a character's identity fictitious named Ivan Denisovich Shukhov. As the reader absorbs the passages chronicling this character's life, we can see how his environment strips him of his identity, how he preserves his individuality with dignity and etiquette, and how he has formed bonds with his surroundings. The novel depicts a day in Shukhov's life, but it also describes exactly what his identity became and how. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay The gulag environment is extremely harsh. Filled with political prisoners who had in one way or another opposed Stalin's regime, the prisoners feared not so much each other as they feared the harsh guards, the frightening cold, and starvation. The gulag seems to be trying to take away his identity, replacing his name with a sound and a number. “Shcha-854, the Tartar read aloud on the white spot on the back of the black jacket” (Solzhenitsyn 7). Aside from the functionalism of not having to know each prisoner's name, this allows the guards to tear away the prisoner's identity, telling him that he is just a number, part of their plan, and no longer a person. Gulag prescriptions also remove a person's individuality by suppressing their privacy. “…Ivan Denisovich heard a roar of protest: they are taking away our shirts” (Solzhenitsyn, 32). Prisoners were searched every day entering and leaving the camp, and the more clothing they had to remove, the more exposed a zek felt, the more a zek belonged to the camp rather than to himself. Shukhov strips himself of his identity without moving, sticking only to his dignity. He passively rebels against the regime, unlike Buynovski, who often shouts complaints to the guards and is punished for it. Shukhov stays strong by following his personal routines, such as his eating etiquette. “Then he took off his cap from his shaved head – even though it was cold, he did not allow himself to eat with his cap on…if the roof caught fire, he still would not hurry” (Solzhenitsyn 17). Shukhov still follows a routine: he takes off his hat, checks the contents of his bowl and eats slowly. By making his personal moves, he reminds himself that he is an individual who can still do things his way in these few moments of his time. This routine also helps him ensure that there is nothing harmful in his food and that the meal is larger than if he wolfed it down quickly. Shukhov is also distinguished by his personal spoon. “Shukhov took his spoon out of his boot. This spoon was precious, it had traveled all over the north with him. He had cast it himself from aluminum wire in a sand mold and had engraved on it: Ust-Izhma, 1944” (Solzhenitsyn, 16). One of the few Zeks to own his own spoon, Shukhov attaches more meaning to his spoon than to his secret handmade knife. Although the knife has more uses and is a more prized tool for the average inmate, Shukhov prefers a tool that nourishes him rather than one that destroys. The final way Ivan Denisovich maintains his identity is through bonding with his comrades. For each person who knows him and understands his identity, it is all the more. ».