Pain

A central dynamic of the story is the inevitability of pain, and the challenges of accepting such adversity. At the beginning of the story, Aksionov is a generally content and carefree person: “Aksionov was a handsome, fair-haired, curly-headed fellow, full of fun, and very fond of singing” (3). However, his life is drastically changed by chance circumstances. Specifically, Semyonich kills a man and hides the weapon in Aksionov’s bag, thereby framing Aksionov for the crime. As a result, Aksionov is arrested and is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a prison labor camp. The random nature of these circumstances demonstrate how pain and adversity can often materialize due to random forces outside of one’s control. Moreover, the effects of those forces may be profoundly destructive. Thus, when faced with such randomness and adversity, one must learn to navigate the resulting pain.

During...