One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

In One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, the prison camp eliminates everyone's individual identity and only leaves the inmates with one identity: zeks. Whether the inmates are unable to practice their religion, wear their own civilian clothes, or even think for themselves, they continue to live their life without an identity. There is one character in the novel named Aloyshka who is also a Baptist and he isn't even able to practice his religion which is a huge part of who he is. He even quotes the Bible to examine his living conditions. He says "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrondoer, or a mischief maker; yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under the name let him glorify God." With this, Aloyshka is saying that may have committed crimes, which is the reason he is in the prison, but he will be okay as long as he prays to God. Food may be the metod of survival for the prisoners, but religion is his method. He relies on religion to get him through the day. He is used to not being accepted as he is especially with the beliefs he has; he always hides his Bible in the crack of the wall. Another way the prisoners have no individual identity is through the uniforms they are required to wear. "Those numbers were the plague of a zek's life. A warder could spot him a long way off." Sukhov mentions this because it is one of the realities they must live with. Their uniforms do not benefit them in any way. They are like the plague because everyone has it and no one benefits from it especially during the winter time. Shukhov is right when he says, "A convicts thoughts are no freer than he is" because the prisoners are kept from freedom of thought, beliefs, rights, and actions. They live through the same thing day after day even though they lose their sense of self during their time at the prisoner of war camp.