In the First Circle by Alexander Solzhenitsyn is largely based upon his observations of Communist Russia in the 1960s. He confronts government corruption by exposing its opposition to the valor of individual citizens. According to the system, individuals are weakened in order to remain subject to the state, but these same oppressed peoples are painfully aware of the selfish aims of their government. Thus loyalty becomes a nearly impossible commodity. In his writing, Solzhenitsyn places characters in the narrative which represents himself (Nerzhin), and his friends Lev Kopelev (Rubin) and Dimitrii Mikhailovich Panin (Sologdin). He writes to honor the experiences which they endured together as well as to inform the world of the true, ugly nature of the USSR.
Russian ambassador Innokentii Volodin learns some hard evidence about Russian corruption which tortures him until he decides to confide in the U.S. embassy. Without his knowledge the call is recorded by Russian internal affairs, though they cannot tell who the traitor is. In prison, Lev Rubin is a member of an elite squad which is granted special privileges in exchange for using their expertise to aid the state. Rubin is tasked with identifying Volodin over the phone, which he eventually does, leading to Volodin's arrest. Although Volodin his crushed by his arrest, though not surprised, he continues to defy the corruption of the state by persuading his fellow elite prisoners to stop helping the Russian government. As a result, most are sent to lesser prisons where they're lives are harder. Nerzhina's wife divorces him. Sologdin's secret cryptography machine is confiscated for Russian implementation. Nevertheless these men defy corruption to its face and maintain honor in the midst of chaos.
In Solzhenitsyn's retelling of Stalin's Russia, he takes great care to distinguish the state from the people. As a Russian citizen, he detested the corruption of the state, which was visible to all. He writes about how paranoid Stalin became, increasingly distrusting his advisors and constantly sending people away from him. He desires to own the world, but he cares little for integrity or honor. Because these values are essential to strong government, Stalin's own people undo him from the foundation upward. Men like Solzhenitsyn, here represented by Nerzhin, staunchly oppose government corruption even at risk of their own lives. The novel possesses a somber, somewhat cynical tone, but Solzhenitsyn finds redemption in the valor of individuals in their seemingly impossible stand against their government.
