As I was reading Memoirs from the House of the Dead, I could very much relate with one factor the narrator pointed out. This point was the idea that prison work was not so difficult nor it did it require a lot of man power. What made prison work so cruel and unbearable was the fact that it was obligatory and not complying meant punishment. I found that when the narrator realized this, I completely agreed with him. For instance, I have found in the past that when I am required to watch a film by a teacher, I am less inclined to want to do so regardless of whether the film is entertaining. The mere fact that it did not stem from my own desires, makes me create perceptions on the work before having viewed it. Thus, I sympathized even further when the narrator came to the conclusion that if a prisoner were made to perform pointless work day after day, they would eventually commit suicide. He explained this by describing a situation in which one might be compelled to spend a whole day moving soil from one place to another, only for the next morning to reverse the work. This kind of "degradation,shame and suffering" would likely drive a person to hang themselves within a few days of such torture. (24, Dostoevsky). 

     I found it surprising though the way the narrator described some prisoners leading contempt lives within the jail boundaries. He described the way some individuals tried to perform the work neatly and skillfully. At night, they would eat the soup for dinner even though cockroaches were often in the meal. Then these prisoners would smoke their pipes and if they were part of the lucky few, have swags of vodka while playing cards. In a sense, it was admirable the way some people could make the best of even the most terrible situations. However, at least up until now it seems that the narrator and me share qualities, such as not being quite merry enough to adapt to this sort of environment.