“But the man who leaves the Ka-Be, naked and almost always insufficiently cure, feels himself ejected into the dark and cold of sidereal space. His trousers fall down, his shoes hurt him, his shirt has not buttons. He searches for a human contact and only finds backs turned on him. He is as helpless and vulnerable as a new-born baby, but the following morning he will still have to march to work. (pg 57) ”
No wonder why Primo Levi’s book has been praised by people with admiration. He certainly has a remarkable gift of writing which absorbs the reader inside to his book. From Chapter 5, as soon as I was ending the first page, a significant quote captured me once again. By four sentences, Levi made me to realize how thankful I should feel towards my safety and caring environment. To re-mention about the Ka-Be, Ka-Be was not a paradise where the Jews could rest, but was a place where they could reminiscence the old memories and realize how crucial the reality is. After suffering and having a little rest at the same time, the Jews definitely had to leave the Ka-Be. However, without any appropriate clothing, a man had to head towards to the place where he used to be, feeling insecure and lonely. Yet, it was obvious that no one would care for another man but only care about one self. Although a man had returned from a Ka-Be, no one would greet him since the reality in Auschwitz is different. If I return home after being in a hospital even for two days, I am sure my family would welcome me with comfort and try to help me sincerely. However, it was an impossible scene in Auschwitz. Since the man has now healed, the next day he must head to work.
How painful would it be, to work without knowing the purpose of working and even not knowing why they have to suffer under the German controls? Moreover, there is no one to share his or her pains.
However, it made me wonder, is friendship actually reliable in Auschwitz? Since people have lost everything, small things such as spoons and shoes are appreciable in that situation. It is common for people to steal other possessions for their own satisfactory aspects, but eventually this might make Jews lose trust among the other people. Yet, the Jews might also be desperate of having a close person who could share his or her stories.
Immediately, Levi answered my concerns by stating, “Alberto is my best friend. He fights for his life but still remains everybody’s friend. He ‘knows’ whom to corrupt, whom to avoid, whose compassion to arouse, whom to resist. Yet he himself did not become corrupt. (pg 57)” However, it made me think once again. Is it possible to act as Alberto, being a friend to everyone? Sometimes when I think about Auschwitz, it would be great to have a friend who I could rely on throughout the hardships I have to manage. However, sometimes I feel not having a friend would be better in the prison. In a place where deaths commonly exist, you do not know when your precious friend would leave, or when you would leave. In my opinion, spoon stealers could also hurt me, but a death of a friend would truly damage me.
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