Survival in Auschwitz

Survival in Auschwitz

From the beginning of time there have been a couple incidences of terrible events that amount to the treatment of the Jews in Europe during World War II. It is difficult to think of the astonishing amount of terror they experienced during this period. In the book Survival in Auschwitz, Primo Levi paints a scary picture with great detail that is meant to serve as a reminder of the unimaginable horrors millions of men, women and children were forcefully subjected to as a result of hate.

As a Jew, Levi knew he was in danger while living in fascist Northern Italy. By 1943, the Nazis had traveled south and made holding camps around Italy to detain political prisoners and those of the Jewish nationality until they could be taken to these terrible concentration camps such as Auschwitz and Dachau. This book depicts what happened to Levi after his arrest in 1944. Joining Levi was 650 others who would have the same fate, he was placed into a freight train for a journey that seemed much longer then four days without food or water and without the freedom to leave the train at anytime. When the Jews would arrive at the camp of Auschwitz, Poland, the first of a pre-existence of selections took place. The German SS Soldiers separated those they seemed to be capable of work from those that were deemed incapable, such as women, children and elderly. Only 135 of the 650 prisonered Jews from Levi’s train were admitted into Auschwitz, the other 515 went immediately to the gas chambers. When you think of this it is hard to imagine that some could do this to another human being no matter how much hate one had for another. Later, a simpler method was interpreted that was as simple as opening both doors on the train. Without warning or instruction to the new arrivals, those who by chance climbed down on one side of the convoy entered the camp; the others went to the gas chamber. This goes down as the most inhuman way to choose some ones fate. I couldn’t fathom what was going through the minds of the people that had to take the Jews in the concentration camps.

He was rounded up with the others into the camp and after being striped naked and having his head shaved, he was given an old striped uniform and the identification numbers 174517 tattooed on his arm. Levi recalled with great accuracy the humiliation and confusion he felt as he was forced to get used to his new surroundings as if he chose to be there. There was no compassion showed to the Jews at these horrible places. The food they were given were too insufficient to quench the slightest of hunger. Thousands of others around him were suffering and unavoidably dying as a result of this insufficient food supply. This must have turned the Jews in these concentration camps insane. They were being treated like something less than humans because of their ethnic backgrounds. Even though Levi was a new comer to these camps, his encounters with others and his own observations told him that the Germans militant nature was at its low. It was at worst its ever been. In order to survive and try to become a free man again, he found ways to maintain the illusion of usefulness with the least possible exertion. One would why haven’t the prisoners tried to revolt against the Germans and try to free themselves? Why wouldn’t any other countries that new of the terrible occurrences at concentration camps try to do something about it?

An iron sign above the front gates proclaimed the camp slogan "Arbeit Macht Frei". This translated to "work gives you freedom. " This was very untrue statement. This could have been put up to make the Jews believe that the harder they worked the faster they would be allowed to leave this terrible place. This was a mind game that soon was figured out by the people in the concentration camps. Prisoners of Auschwitz were forced to work seven days a week with two Sundays off a month which were filled with tedious, exhausting tasks and were often the only times available was to attend to personal hygiene needs. There was so much disease that came of not being able to take care of ones self. The Jews had to think of only looking out for themselves and no one else. For most of their time they spent working 16-hour days in factories and around the camp, making supplies for the war and other items for the Germans. They had to help the Germans fight a war that they were living in. They were helping the enemy and they had no choice other wise. This could be on of the worst things any person would have to go through knowing they were helping the Germans get more of their own people and put them through the same terror. This would take a large toll on ones life. With little food and clothing that was worse then a good will, it was easy to become ill or even die from exhaustion while working in the snow and