Ivan Dmitrich Aksionov

Ivan Dmitrich Aksionov is the story’s protagonist. At the beginning of the story, he is a modestly successful merchant. He is presented as somewhat frivolous and carefree. He enjoys drinking alcohol, although he does not drink as often since he married. He has a wife and multiple young children. One day, he begins traveling to a fair to sell his wares. He sleeps at an inn, and a fellow merchant is murdered in an adjoining room. The police find a bloody knife in Aksionov’s bag. Aksionov is sentenced to life in a labor camp.

Over the following 26 years, he becomes devoutly religious to maintain a sense of hope. He becomes respected among the guards and prisoners. One day, he deduces that a new inmate named Semyonich was the one who killed the merchant and framed Aksionov. When guards discover an escape tunnel, Aksionov does...