There are certain universal things that humans need to survive. Among these are food, clothing, shelter and understanding. The book One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich written by Alexander Solzhenitsyn shows us personally how the characters can survive the harsh conditions of an imprisonment camp. Survival of the fittest reigns in the camp because of the shortage of basic survival essentials.

The story takes place in a Russian prison camp after World War II. Ivan Shukhov Denisovich, the main character, is sentenced to a prison camp after having been a prisoner of the Germans during the war. The camp conveys a hopeless situation that only human integrity can overcome.

To overcome these hardships the prisoners in the book each utilize different approaches to cope with the environment of the deathful camp. The different characters in the camp included the guards, the gang bosses, assistant gang bosses, cooks, squealers, and prisoners. With all their differences, each group had a common goal of survival. Ivan makes a point in the book that they are all prisoners, even the guards. Ivan states that, "if a prisoner escapes the guard would take his place" (Pg. 114). The gu

Survival of the fittest describes the camp perfectly. As an individual you must find your own ways of getting more food and extra clothing. How close you sit by the fire when you eat could be the difference of life and death. Being lazy was not acceptable with the limits on food and clothing working was the only option. The work provided the small amount of food and the body heat to stay alive.

The guards also despised the cold and would spend as much time as possible in their houses to stay away from the blistering cold. Also the guards would keep a close watch on the prisoners because the guards did not want to take the time to search for any that came up missing.

ards would frequently take out their frustrations on the prisoners even though the gang bosses were the ones who had the real power in the camp. The gang bosses were also prisoners, but they were in charge of regulating the work assignments. The smell of corruptions hung around the camp. Ivan declares that a prisoner's survival was dependent on their gang boss. Extra food would be given to the gang boss, who would in turn bribe the guards into giving that gang an easier work assignment.

Clothing was especially important in the camp because the camp was in Russia. Russia’s climate is anything but enjoyable. Freezing to death was an important thing that was on every prisoners mind. The prisoners would only be given clothes a few times a year and shoes only once a year. Every dirty rag and leftover stitch was horded in hopes of staying warm. Prisoners would risk being caught and punished just to be able to wear an extra shirt.

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