On one level, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is certainly a story about the nature of man, defined by his inability to make sense of the universe, surrounded and threatened by forces which he is unable to control or even explain. At this level of meaning, the work aligns itself with those of other existential writers who see human beings trapped in a monotonous daily routine very similar to that of Ivan's labor camp (see the essay on "One Day as an Existential Commentary").
This impression is reinforced by the use of numbers instead of names -Ivan is called S-854 by the Thin Tartar — a technique used by many modern writers; for example, it is used by Elmer Rice in his play The Adding Machine, and by Karel Capek in R. U.R. Interestingly, Solzhenitsyn had originally chosen the title S-854 for the novel.
Ivan's day begins on a negative note in this first episode. He feels ill, which does not happen often; he remembers the work reassignment, which is possible; and he is surprised by the Thin Tartar, who has come on duty instead of Big Ivan, a humane and lenient prison guard (he is associated with Ivan, the protagonist, because of the similarity of their names). Finally, Ivan is sentenced to three days in "the can," but even here, the counterswing of the pendulum begins: Ivan's sentence is "with work as usual," words which are important to Ivan, because not being allowed to work would be real punishment for him. Ivan is not worried about losing his share of the food allotment: the ethics of survival dictate that his comrades will keep his breakfast for him. We should also note that Ivan, while trying against hope to persuade the Thin Tartar to change his mind about the punishment, does not grovel in a demeaning manner but only protests because it is part of the game.
