One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and The Metamorphosis

In reading One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, it is obvious that food plays a vital role in prison life. Because of its scarcity, food is the greatest motivator for the prisoners. It is given as a reward to the hard-working, well-liked prisoners, and withheld as punishment for the lazy prisoners. The men are constantly looking forward to their next meal. The novel's protagonist, Ivan Deniso

In One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, mealtimes take on a less social atmosphere than in The Metamorphosis because the men who eat are more concerned about eating than about socializing, which is expected because of the hunger they are subjected to. However, there is definitely evidence of some social influence on the way the prisoners dine. This can be first seen in the way higher-ranking, harder-working prisoners get more food. The amount of food consumed is an excellent indicator of status within the work gang. Also, the bowls of food are sorted by the nutritional value of each one. The well-liked men receive portions with more solid material, hence more calories, while the other men get soup consisting mostly of water. Social customs can also be witnessed in the mannerisms of individual prisoners. Shukhov, for example, finds himself unable to eat dinner with his hat on. He knows how cold it is, and probably is uncomfortably cold without it on, but his Russian upbringing prevents him from covering his head while at the table. There are other characters that have their own special habits at meals. The old veteran, Prisoner Y-81, for whom Shukhov expresses his admiration, uses a piece of cloth as a place-mat when he eats. His habits, too, must have been made when he still lived in his Soviet state of origin, before he became a prisoner. In this way it is seen how social customs reveal themselves at mealtimes.

In The Metamorphosis, as in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, food is an important part of human existence. However, the word "human" is a key factor in this statement. When Gregor wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect, he is separated from a vital part of human life. His taste has changed, and he can no longer eat the same foods he ate as a human. His new view on the value of eating is one of the reasons for his decline and eventual death. His family, seeing that he no longer has any human qualities, begins to exclude him from all family life. Food is also important in the novel in that lack of it leads to Gregor's death. Although he cannot eat normal human food, the author suggests that there are other foods that wo

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