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Part 3, Chapter 7: The Way of Life and Customs of the Natives
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Gulag Archipelago, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Oppression and Totalitarianism
Survival and the Human Spirit
The Dangers of Ideology
Power as a Corrupting Force
The Value of Religion and Spirituality
Summary
Analysis
Prison life for women in the Gulag camps consisted of constant degradation and suffering. In Solzhenitsyn’s experience, women reacted more sharply than men to the trauma of losing family and their former lives. Yet, the true torment began in the camps, where women faced the indignity of being treated as objects rather than human beings. The camps stripped them of basic hygiene and privacy, and upon arrival, women endured demeaning inspections. Male trusties eyed and selected new arrivals, often treating them like property, and any notion of personal space quickly vanished.
The degradation of women in the Gulag camps is yet another disturbing aspect of Soviet repression, where female prisoners endured not only physical suffering but also violations of their personal dignity. Solzhenitsyn’s account of demeaning inspections and the commodification of women by male trusties reveals the camp system’s willingness to exploit every vulnerability. The treatment of women as objects serves as a stark example of how the Gulag erased individuality and humanity.
Themes
Survival required painful choices, and women had to navigate a treacherous social environment. Some succumbed to the advances of trusties, exchanging themselves for better living conditions and more protection. The constant threat of violence left them little room for resistance. Young girls adapted quickly to the harshness of camp life, while older women struggled with the humiliation. Malnutrition, exhaustion, and backbreaking work aged women prematurely, reducing them to shadows of their former selves. Their bodies withered, and the once feminine features they took pride in disappeared.
Solzhenitsyn’s portrayal of young girls adapting and older women struggling reflects the varying responses to camp life, showing how the camps stripped women of their identity and physical vitality. In essence, the camps erased conventional femininity, as the camps forced women to act the same as the men, except they also had to fear the added threat of sexual exploitation and violence.
Themes
Despite the degradation, women in the camps still sought connection and love. Sometimes, these relationships remained almost entirely emotional, with only a tenuous link to the physical. For Solzhenitsyn a fleeting smile carried enormous weight, shining brightly against the oppressive darkness of camp life. Yet, love in the Gulag created its own complications, especially when pregnancy loomed. Immediate separation followed pregnancy, forcing women to confront painful questions: Should they carry the child to term, knowing the baby might not survive or would face separation? Would the father remain loyal or choose someone else? Women agonized over these choices, fearing the consequences either way.
The pursuit of love and connection within the Gulag camps is an example of human resilience in the face of extreme oppression. Solzhenitsyn’s observation of emotional connections illustrates how love became a form of resistance, a rare escape from the crushing isolation imposed by the camp system. However, like every form of resistance in the camps, love and sex were bittersweet, as they came with potentially dire consequences.
Themes
