Genre
Semi-Autobiographical Fiction
Setting and Context
The Suburbs of Moscow, December 1949
Narrator and Point of View
Told from a third-person point of view
Tone and Mood
Oppressive, Violent, Solemn, Sad, Chaotic, and Paranoid.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Gleb Nerzhin (Protagonist) vs. Joseph Stalin (Antagonist)
Major Conflict
The conflict between normal people (particularly intellectuals) and the oppressive Soviet leadership.
Climax
When Volodin is arrested.
Foreshadowing
Volodin's arrest is foreshadowed throughout the book
Understatement
Soviet High Command's insanity and ineptitude is understated throughout the book
Allusions
To Solzhenitsyn's own life, the history of the Soviet Union and the world as a whole, geography, the Bible, and popular culture.
Imagery
In the First Circle, Solzhenitsyn uses harsh imagery used to evoke the Soviet Unions paranoia.
Paradox
Volodin makes the phone call knowing he will eventually be found out and arrested, yet still makes the call.
Parallelism
The story of the countless Soviet citizens and the oppressive regime they had to live under is paralleled throughout the book.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The NKVD = People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs
Personification
Dishonesty and deceit are personified throughout the book.
