Journal 17 :The Story of Ten Days

“It really meant that the Lager was dead. It was the first human gesture that occurred among us. I believe that that moment can be dated as the beginning of the change by which we who had not died slowly changed from Haflinge to men again (pg 160).”

Finally, the Lager, the German controls, was dead. This quote was significant, because it indicated the closure of the Auschwitz Camps, as well as the prisoners being beasts. Before, a rule ‘eat your own bread, and if you can, that of your neighbor,’ was applied to the prisoners. No one cared about their neighbors and began to become self-centered and tried to satisfy only themselves. Eventually, depending on Exchange Markets and theft was the only way to survive. Prisoners had become “beasts,” no longer having any sympathy towards people, but relying on their ways of survival.

However, as the end of the Auschwitz Camp was approaching, people began to change. Primo stated “I had no longer felt any pain, joy or fear, except in that detached and distant manner characteristic of the Lager, which might be described as conditional (pg 152),” which showed how the prisoners did neither express emotions nor feel emotions. As being “beasts,” they weren’t able to feel emotions anymore and did not bother to express it either. But later one, “He also was cheerful and confident, as were all those who were leaving (pg 155).” Only the evacuation was the solution to make people become human.

As I read Primo Levi’s diary for ten days, I realized how the prisoners were desperate to get out from the Germans sights. As the Russians were approaching towards the German troops, the SS soldiers had to run away from the camps, leaving the unsecured Jews behind the bare, cold winter. All the Jews had to believe in their fate and were not brave enough to get out of the camps, because they were the ill ones. As the healthy prisoners were leaving one by one, the sick people had to cooperate together and find ways to survive in the Ka-Be. However, to me, the people seemed not very anxious, while Primo was staying with eleven people inside the Ka-Be, because the Germans were no longer controlling the camps. Although the winter made some people to rest eternally, Primo, and his fellow friends, Charles and Arthur did not gave up. Despite their illness, they were the ones to search for food, water, stove, and other necessary supplies to survive for the ten days. And when they achieved some food, such as potatoes and breads, it was surprising to notice that the people began to share the meals in equal rations. When Primo, Charles, and Arthur fixed a stove for their room, the other eight people agreed to give them some more slice of bread for appreciation. As Primo said, it was starting point of the prisoners becoming human, who are willing to share their food by feeling thankful to the workers.

In this chapter, I really like the character, Charles, who was courageous and caring. One night, inside their room, a sick Dutch Jew, Lakmaker, was suffering and wanted to go to the latrine. However, because of his illness, his body was way too weak to walk to the latrine, that eventually he fell to the ground and couldn’t help himself to stand up. He groaned of pain. If this occurred during the harsh days of Auschwitz, no one would bother to help him either. Lakmaker would have stayed under the ground until the next day, waiting for the death to approach, still groaning with pain. However, Charles lit the lamp and began to help Lakmaker. Even though Lakmaker’s bed was filthy and smelly, Charles silently “lifted Lakmaker from the ground with the tenderness of a mother, cleaned him as best as possible with straw taken from the mattress and lifted him into the remade bed in the only position in which the unfortunate fellow could lie He scraped the floor with a scrap of tinplate, diluted a little chloramines and finally spread disinfectant over everything, including himself (pg 167).” Maybe Charles helped him because he never knew the hardships that occurred in Auschwitz and never been a beast before. He was French, who was a teacher, and just came to the camp several days before. He was not a Jew, but was surrendered by the Germans, as well as Arthur did. But I was truly impressed by his humanity, who silently helped the ill, despite the fact that the illness could also transfer to him and considering about the contagious illness, he also spread the disinfectant over everywhere. I think he wanted to survive with most of the people inside the Ka-Be, that time.

On the last day, January 27, finally the freedom was granted to the Jewish prisoners, as well as the two French, Arthur and Charles. The Russians had arrived to the camp and transferred the ill ones to a local Russian hospital of Auschwitz. Some of the people inside Primo’s Ka-Be room were not able to survive and ended their lives in the hospital, but Primo, Charles, and Arthur managed to survive. At the end, Primo said “Arthur has reached his family happily and Charles has take up his teacher’s profession again; we have exchanged long letters and I hope to see him again one day (pg 173).” After writing his book, I was curious about some facts; did Primo meet Arthur and Charles again? How about Alberto, who left several days before him? How did Primo live for the rest of his life? I heard his committed a suicide, is it true?

Overall, this book was truly a masterpiece as the appraisements stated on the cover of the book. It was a written video of Auschwitz, which makes you to visualize the scenes specifically as you read each sentence. Congratulations to Primo Levi, who managed to survive through all the deadly moments, although the memories will still haunt him down.

Journal 16 : The Last One

“Who answered ‘Jawohl’? Everybody and nobody: it was as if our cursed resignation took body by itself, as if it turned into a collective voice above our heads (pg 149).”

A man was being killed in front of the Jews. When the Germans asked the Jews (Primo Levi and Alberto) whether they understand why the man was being killed, no one had a choice to be against it. After the short answer of the Jews, the cry of the doomed man pierced into their hearts, as if he was yelling “Comrades, I am the last one!” Then after the man’s death, the Jews were able to be dismissed. When the trapdoor opened, the body wriggled horribly and the Jews had to pass by the quivering body of the dying man. How creepy.

After being dismissed, Alberto and Primo Levi couldn’t say anything but feel shameful. “To destroy a man is difficult, almost as difficult as to create one: it has not been easy, nor quick, but you Germans have succeeded. Here we are, docile under your gaze; from our side you have nothing more to fear; no acts of violence, no words of defiance, not even a look of judgement (pg 150).” To the Germans, Jewish people did not worth any value. It was easy for the Germans to kill the Jews without any sympathy. They can just kill a Jew without any resistance from anyone. That’s why Primo and Alberto weren’t able to do anything for the dying man. They couldn’t act violently, couldn’t speak out for the dying man, and couldn’t even look as if they were caring for the man. Primo and Alberto needed to show their indifferent eyes in order to pass by the SS officers.

Obviously, they would feel shameful about themselves. But what can they do about? If they care about the dying man, they would also end up as him. To the Germans, Jews were worthless and powerless at the same time.

Journal 15 : Die drei Leute vom Labor

“When will it be our turn? (pg 137)”

It was surprising to notice from 174,000 Jews, only twenty-one of them were able to survive within a year. Primo also became curious of “How many of us will be alive at the new year? How many when spring begins?”Although Primo himself is one of the specialized Kommando, it does not guarantee that he will never die in Auschwitz. The title “Specialist” might help him to be excused from hard labor, but still, Primo cannot predict his future. But luckily, regardless of his worries, he was chosen as one of the three workers of the new Laboratory.

As Primo Levi works in the Laboratory, the girls of the laboratory make him miserable. “It is different here. Faced with the girls of the laboratory, we three feel ourselves sink into the ground from shame and embarrassment. We know what we look like; we see each other and sometimes we happen to see our reflection in a clean window. We are ridiculous and repugnant (pg 142).” By reading the quote, I was outraged by the fact that the Jews were feeling shameful of their appearance by facing the German girls. What makes the German girls special? They are just loquacious annoying speakers who don’t know about how the Jewish prisoners are suffering because of their country. Actually, they have to keep the laboratory clean, but why are they chatting with each other? While Primo was working by himself, he had to feel deeply unhappy by hearing the girls speaking about their holidays.

“Are you going home on Sunday? I am not, travelling is so uncomfortable! (pg 143)”

How dare does she say like that in a building with Jewish prisoners? I would just like to spank her and command her to clean the laboratory. During that period, the Jews would have done anything if they could travel to go back home. Once again, only my hatred towards the Germans was getting bigger and bigger. The German officers were killing the Jews physically and the German girls were killing the Jews mentally.

Journal 14 : Kraus

As well as Lorenzo from Chapter 12, once again I noticed another interesting character through this chapter. In Chapter 14, Primo Levi introduces a character Kraus, who works with him during the windy days. It has been November and the days kept on pouring rain upon the prisoners. Obviously, who wants to work when it’s raining?

“Poor Kraus, his is not reasoning, it is only the stupid honesty of a small employee, he brought it along with him, and he seems to think that his present situation is like outside, where it is honest and logical to work, as well as being of advantage, because according to what everyone says, the more one works the more one earns and eats (pg 132).”

Well, Kraus does. He is not willing to work during rainy days, but he is willing to work assiduously. As the quote said, his honesty made him to be honest and logical to work, and he is probably motivated by a phrase “one works the more one earns and eats.” However, does Kraus really have to be diligent of what he is doing? Although I tend to try my best on everything I do, somehow, I understand Primo Levi’s point of view towards Kraus, thinking Kraus is being silly and foolish. By working hard, no one can earn more or eat more inside the Auschwitz. In Chapter 2, it stated “Arbeit Macht Frei, work gives freedom (pg 22),” but the more you work hard, the more energy you get to waste. Tomorrow does not mean anything to the Jews anymore. Every day is just the same to the Jews, working, working, and working. And as a result, all they get is a poor amount of soup and bread. Maybe that’s why Primo wanted to teach Kraus a lesson, that being a honest hard-working man does not mean anything inside the Auschwitz.

“But who can seriously think about tomorrow? Until one day there will be no more sense in saying: tomorrow (pg 133).”

Journal 13 : October 1944

“Just as our hunger is not that feeling of missing a meal, so our way of being cold has need of a new word. We say ‘hunger’, we say ‘tiredness,’ ‘fear,’ ‘pain,’ we say ‘winter’ and they are different things. They are free words, created and used by free men who lived in comfort and suffering in their homes. If the Lagers had lasted longer a new, harsh language would have been born; and only this language could express what it means to toil the whole day in the wind, with the temperature below freezing, wearing only a shirt, underpants, cloth jacket and trousers, and in one’s body nothing but weakness, hunger and knowledge of the end drawing nearer (pg 123).”

To the prisoners, the words, “hunger, tiredness, fear, pain, and winter,” do not satisfy the deep meanings. As Primo stated, they are just free words, which claims to represent ‘the feeling,’ which the prisoners feel at the camps. Winter, does not only represent another kind of season. Prisoners fear the launch of winter, because it also means “death” to them. “Seven out of ten of us will die. Whoever does not die will suffer minute by minute, all day, everyday (pg 123).” It is the time when the selection starts and sends the majority of prisoners to the gas chambers and also the coldness starts to pierce the prisoners’ body. Only with a shirt, underpants, cloth jacket, and trousers, they have to endure the cold winter and wait for their death to be announced. Winter equals no hope.

During the selection, it is mostly randomly picked. In three or four minutes, a hut of two hundred men is done (there are about sixty huts), as well as the twelve thousand men inside the concentration camps. After the selection, the chosen ones receive a privilege, gaining a double ration during their meals, which made me feel awkward about it. This made me remember of a book called When My Name was Keoko, which talked about the period during the World War II. This book was written by a Korean woman, who had to suffer through the Korea invasion by the Japanese. During the World War II, the Japan was preparing for a surprise attack with the Kamikaze Soldiers, also known as the suicide soldiers, to threaten US. Keoko’s brother was one of the suicide soldiers. And, the day before their flight, Japan provided them food and expected the soldiers to feel honored of receiving such care. Well, some of the soldiers might have been willing to die for their country and enjoy the meal, but somehow, the situation was related to the Auschwitz Camps. Both countries were just making individuals die because to fulfill the countries' expectations.

Up to yesterday, they just treated the prisoners severely and squashed their hopes. Then, after the selection, they are giving just “double” rations during their meal as a privilege. What are the Germans trying to do? Do they want to make the prisoners feel relief before their dreadful gas chamber experience? Due to the Germans hatred, the Jewish prisoners had to suffer harshly inside the camps without any reasons, and before the day of their death, they were able to eat double rations of their meal. However, surprisingly, the prisoners were not surprised, but it seemed they were simply enjoying their “privilege.” By showing their cards to the Blockaltester, they received double ration of their meal and eat inside their bunk.

First, I could not understand their attitude, but by the end, I realized maybe the prisoners are not really “enjoying” the privilege, but they are truly accepting their fate. Anyways, every prisoner inside the camp expects that he will die one day. Whatever they do, they know that freedom of their life is particularly impossible within the camp. So, if they are going to die anyways, it seems that they might rather fill their stomachs full than dying painfully because of hunger. It sounds horrible, but it was the prisoners’ life during winter.

Journal 12 : The Events of the Summer

Lorenzo was an interesting character to notice, although Primo introduced him slightly in this chapter. In the start, Primo stated “’When things change, they change for the worse’ was one of the proverbs of the camp. More generally, experience had shown us many times the vanity of every conjecture… (pg 116)” I think this quote was significant of affirming that EVERYBODY changes in a worst way. As mentioned in the previous chapters, no morality exists inside the barbed wire world, thus everybody does not recognize that they are changing in an evil way. They were all being destroyed over time. However, Lorenzo was different. “In concrete terms it amounts to little: an Italian civilian worker brought me a piece of bread and the remainder of his ration every day for six months; he gave me a vest of his, full of patches; he wrote a postcard on my behalf to Italy and brought me the reply. For all this he neither asked nor accepted any reward, because he was good and simple and did not think that one did good for a reward (pg 119).”

By reading the quote, I could feel that Lorenzo was the only one who could still maintain of being a “human” among the beasts inside the prison. As a “human,” he felt he had done the right thing when he was helping Primo and did not expect any rewards from him. Honestly, I could not understand Lorenzo’s behavior at the first time. Why bother to help others when he himself is also struggling to survive? Rather than sharing a piece of bread to another person or sending a postcard for someone else, I would gladly eat the whole piece of bread by myself and send only my postcard to my behalf. However, I also realized my humanity was becoming contaminated as well as the other “beasts” existing inside the camps. Even I, as a reader, feel it is RIGHT to be selfish if I get to live inside the society of concentration camps, since it is the only way to survive among the severe conditions and prisoners. But Lorenzo was different. As Primo stated at the end, “Lorenzo was a man; his humanity was pure and uncontaminated, he was outside this world of negation. Thanks to Lorenzo, I managed not to forget that I myself was a man. (pg 122)”

Journal 11 : The Canto of Ulysses

The canto of Ulysses. ...Who is Dante? What is the Comedy?...

Jean pays great attention, and I begin slowly and accurately:

'Then of that age-old fire the loftier horn

Began to mutter and move, as a wavering flame

Wrestles against the wind and is over-worn;

And, like a speaking tongue vibrant to frame

Language, the tip of it flickering to and fro

Threw out a voice and answered: "When I came.." (pg 112)'

To be honest, I couldn’t understand the joke or the comedy, which Primo Levi tried to portray for Jean. First, it was a unique chapter to me because it seemed it was the only chapter when Primo was able to “breath with relief” by chatting with the Pikolo, Jean. When Primo stated “He (Jean) spent a month in Liguria, he likes Italy, he would like to learn Italian. I would be pleased to teach him Italian: why not try? We can do it. Why not immediately, one thing is as good as another, the important thing is not to lose time, not to waste this hour (pg 112),” I noticed Primo is actually enjoying being with Jean. Before, he was intimated by the Germans and the daunting prisoners, and did not have any “true friend,” who he could actually fool around with. But as we could notice from the quote, Primo said not wasting time is the important thing. It was interesting of recognizing that Primo was interested in poems and he was intelligent enough to remember each stanzas of it. This was the chapter made Primo able to be "Primo" again, not being a "prisoner Primo."