Shukhov's Suffering In Epictetus 'Book'

In The Handbook, Epictetus writes, “let us never lay the blame on others, but on ourselves—that is, on our own judgements” (The Handbook, 114). Epictetus is explaining that when one is “disturbed or distressed” (The Handbook, 114) about an event, she can only blame herself; for, those feelings are caused by her response to the event and not the event itself. Moreover, while one cannot control the external forces around her, one can still control how she thinks and responds to the situation (Tyler, Meg). Epictetus’ teachings are reflected in the novel One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisvoich as Shukhov, a former USSR solider, deals with being wrongfully imprisoned in the Gulag under the regime of Joseph Stalin (Mackey, John). While Shukhov’s unfortunate
Throughout the novel, Shukhov is often unsatisfied with the lack of food they are given for meals. For instance, Shukhov had no bread with breakfast and his “belly felt unsatisfied” (Solzhenitsyn 32). In response to his discomfort, Shukhov “let his mind dwell on the letter he’d soon be writing home” (Solzhenitsyn 32). Since Shukhov understands he does not have the means necessary to alleviate his hunger, he plunges his thoughts elsewhere. Hunger is just one of the pains Shukhov faces throughout the novel as he trudges through the constant hardships of prison life. However, by controlling his mind’s response to his suffering, he does not let himself dwell on these pains. His attitude is in alignment with Epictetus’ ideology of stoicism or “a manly indifference to hardship” (Tyler, Meg). Because Shukhov’s sentence is out of his control, he must take control of his mind to reach some kind of contentment. His stoic attitude illustrates the teachings of Epictetus and its effectiveness in dealing with the “existing things” (The Handbook, 112) out of one’s
Aside from sleep, these times consist of the five or ten minutes he is given to eat meals. While his meals were “the same everyday” and his “portion had grown quite cold,” Shukhov “still ate it with his usual slow concentration” (Solzhenitsyn 14). While Shukhov does not particularly enjoy the food he is given, he still uses his meal times as an opportunity to exist simply for himself. He even removes his hat, no matter how cold it is, as “he could never bring himself to eat with his hat on” (Solzhenitsyn 14). Shukhov’s consistent ritual of removing his hat displays his resilience in preserving his values and maintaining his personal identity. In correlation with the philosophy of Epictetus to “exercise yourself then in what lies in your power” (The Handbook, 115), Shukhov utilizes the things within his power such as his will to restore his identity. While Shukhov does not have control over his prison sentence, he does have the power to deny the Gulag from dehumanizing him. It is evident that Epictetus’ teachings of exercising what is within one’s power will enable her to find contentment no matter what she is facing in her