Literary Analysis Questions Post #5

1. What theme or themes does the author explore in the novel?  Which passages in the text connect to theme?

A theme that I think the author used in the novel is "self-admiration." This theme shows in the book because Shukhov is a person who was treated unfairly. He was put in prison camp for no fair reason, and he, along the other prisoners, know that. Although he is not happy about the place he is in, Shukhov is very admirable because he takes pride in his work. For example, when he's working so hard for people to use the inventions he creates. That shows that he's a very hardworking man, who won't give up easily. Also, he doesn't only try not to let the people in his gang down, but also himself. Overall, Shukhov is a very reasonable person who tries his best at everything.

Source
This shows a mouth zipped shut. It connects to example #2 because
Shukhov decides to be as nice as possible and follow all the
rules, so he can get out of prison. He accepts the fact
that if he breaks the rules and behaves inappropriately
he will end ups staying in there forever.
to 

Another example would be when he talks about people stealing. Shukhov tells the reader how some prisoners steal food from others and how they kept their belongings when entering the camp (something that's not allowed.) On the other hand, Shukhov explains that all the belongings he has are some old letters that he hides. To me, this seemed very rare because prisoners are supposed to be mean, rude, criminals, more of a "rough" person, but he seems so sweet. The theme of self-admiration is showed in that example because Shukhov respects himself. It shows that he doesn't want to get in trouble, and wants to get out of that prison as soon as possible.