In a Gulag, there are two types of prisoners, ones that are able to adapt to the conditions and ones that are not able too. The former will have a much better shot at surviving his term in the camp than the latter. There are two great examples of both types of prisoners in One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich.
             When reading the book, you notice a lot of prisoners that are having a hard time adapting to life in a Gulag. But it is easy to see the person that has the most difficulty adapting is Captain Buinovsky. The middle aged Captain is short-tempered and outspoken. We see this when, Buinovsky tries to wear an extra sweater under his uniform in an effort to stay warm. When the guards search him and find the sweater, they tell him he must take it off and be punished. The Captain argues with them, and is sentenced to ten days of solitary confinement.
             Buinovsky has such a hard time adapting because he is not used to this new type of life. Before being put in the camp he was a decorated liaison officer in the British Navy. He is accustom to the military life, a life where there was a lot of freedom. A life in which people did not order him around, or treat him like a piece of dirt. In his old naval life, he was respected and hailed as a hero. For these reasons, Buinovsky has great difficulty accepting what has happened to him and following the orders of the camp guards.
             In contrast to Buinovsky, there is Gopchik. He is a young Ukrainian boy, who has been given a mans sentence for delivering food to enemies in a forest. Gopchik has not been in the camp for very long but already knows how to look out for himself. He is very cleaver and an excellent worker, who has made many friends already.
             Because of Gopchik's youth, he has a much easier time adapting to life at camp. It is easier for Gopchik because he is not set in his ways like Buinovsky is.
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