In The Gulag Archipelago, it is said that the function of the prison camps is to break down and corrupt the human spirit. However, one concept that survives within the prison camp system is religion. Not only that, but religion can also find ways to survive not just in the prison camp system (created by totalitarianism), but also in a totalitarian society itself. Therefore, we can see examples of religion surviving in times of totalitarianism in both Demons and the two films we watched in class, Ostrov and Seraphima’s Extraordinary Adventure.
“How could one not envy these people? Were circumstances more favorable for them? By no means! It is a well-known fact that the “nuns” were kept only with prostitutes and thieves at penalty camps. And yet who was there among religious believers whose soul was corrupted? They died–most certainly, but… they were not corrupted. And how can one explain that certain unstable people found faith right there in camp, that they were strengthened by it, and that they survived uncorrupted?” (Solzhenitsyn, 317)
You can see how from this quote, these camps try to crush the spirit of those who are held captive there, especially those with a religious background. They put the nuns with prostitutes and thieves, people that completely go against their religion. They remain faithful which would ultimately lead to their death, but they were never corrupted by the system. They never tried to get ahead by stealing food from others or ratting out other prisoners to the guards just to get slightly ahead. They remained true to themselves. We see this faith persists in Demons in the Appendix.
“Do you believe in God?” Stravrogin suddenly blurted out. “I do.” “It is said that if you believe and tell a mountain to move, it will move… that’s rubbish, however. But, still, I’m curious: could you move a mountain or not?” “If God told me to, I could,” Tikhon said softly with restraint, again beginning to flower his eyes.” (Dostoevsky, 687)
This was in the original chapter 9 of the book, but it was removed. Nikolai goes to see Tikhon, a retired bishop, to confess his crime of sexually assaulting a girl. Even with the rise of this totalitarian movement that was in essence started by Nikolai and his ideologies, religion still persists even in the heart of totalitarianism. Religion offers reassurance and clarity to those who live in a time of uncertainty. And uncertainty is what totalitarianism feeds on. It is a tool to control the masses. When that uncertainty is undermined by religion, it threatens totalitarianism.
Like in the film Ostrov, Anatoli offers help to people who come from mainland Russia. One prominent example is when Anatoli tells a woman to find her long lost husband in France. She says that she can’t because the country wouldn’t allow her but she has faith and the love she has for her husband gives her the courage. And in Seraphima’s Extraordinary Adventure, you have Seraphima who holds on to memories of her religious past despite her father being killed for being a priest. Religious faith endures in times of hardship.
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