Survival in Auschwitz Essay Questions

What enabled Primo Levi to survive in Auschwitz?

There were several factors that Levi believes enabled him to survive. The primary one is simply chance. He was not sent to the camp until 1944, and therefore did not have to survive these conditions for as long as those who had gone before. In addition, the German government had by this time decided to extend the average lifespan of prisoners. Levi's body was able to withstand the physical abuse and starvation for a certain period of time, and eventually, the Germans decided that they needed chemists to work in their chemistry department. Levi was a qualified chemist and was chosen for one of these coveted jobs. This meant that he was entitled to slightly more food and additional clothes to keep out the cold, and was treated for his scarlet fever by the infirmary because they wanted to keep him healthy so they could benefit from his expertise. The actions of certain individuals in the camp helped Levi survive. These include Lorenzo, an Italian civilian worker who provided Levi with rations and communication to the outside world, and Levi's best friend Alberto, with whom Levi conspired to procure more food. Finally, some of Levi's survival could be attributed to dumb luck. For example, he believes that his identity card was confused with that of the robust man in front of him in line at the selection procedure in the October 1944 selections. His card was placed in the "survival" pile in error, muddled with the card of the robust prisoner whose card was placed in the "extermination" pile.

Analyze one of Levi's commentaries about the grander implications of his experience for humanity and the nature of good and evil.

After the October 1944 selections, Levi notices a man named Kuhn praying and thanking God that he had not been chosen. Levi responds with a series of rhetorical questions that criticize Kuhn and call out the egregious crimes of the Nazi operation. One of these questions reads, "Does Kuhn not understand that what has happened today is an abomination, which no propitiatory prayer, no pardon, no expiation by the guilty, which nothing at all in the power of man can ever clean again?" This question is emotionally charged with anger, and it contrasts Levi's usual formal and detached tone. As a writer, Levi has been praised by critics for being able to grapple with the immensity of the Holocaust.

The Nazis the book depicts are obsessed with order and organization. How does this obsession manifest itself?

The Germans went about the extermination of the Jews and the other groups they considered undesirable very systematically by using notes, charts, lists, and obsessive documentation of every man, woman, and child who had passed through the gates of Auschwitz. This meant that instead of being able to offer vague estimates about the number they had murdered, the true number of those killed in the Holocaust could be counted using their own documentation. The practice of tattooing numbers on prisoners only occurred at the Auschwitz concentration camp complex, and they were a permanent mark of the German's organizational efforts on the bodies of the prisoners. Levi is tattooed with the number 174517.

The Germans take roll call daily, and give everyone an identification card during the selections that determine who will live and who will be sent to the gas chambers. Though there is a system in place for the selections, the process happens so quickly that mistakes are inevitable. However, this is not a problem for the SS officers because all of the Jews and undesirables are destined for elimination at some point. Even as they prepare to abandon the camps, the Germans divide the remaining prisoners into Jews and non-Jews, thus retaining their love for order and classification until the very end.

Despite the rule in the Lager concerning individualism, how do relationships with others contribute to Levi's survival?

The rule in the Lager is described as such: "eat your own bread, and if you can, that of your neighbour." It was essentially a survival-of-the-fittest situation in which every man was out for himself. However, Levi not only formed alliances based on survival, but he also had relationships with other people in the camp that provided him with emotional connection and spiritual nourishment. In particular, the presence of Levi's best friend Alberto in the camps was beneficial. The two put their heads together to scheme ways to procure more food, and they succeeded in their endeavors. Having a trusted person to talk with was also important to them both. In addition, Levi credits his survival partially to Lorenzo, an Italian civilian who lived and worked nearby. Lorenzo provided food, clothing, and communication with the outside world out of the goodness of his heart, without expecting anything in return. This reminded Levi of his own dignity and humanity. The Nazis not only physically deprived their prisoners, but debased them to the point of internal annihilation. Levi's relationships with Alberto and Lorenzo addressed both his physical and psychological needs.

Describe Levi's tone in the book.

Levi writes with a tone that comes across as almost detached and formal. This matches the "weekly log" style he adopted for the book, as described in his conversation with Philip Roth. While at times Levi does express anger and disgust at the abuses he witnessed and endured (such as his response to Kuhn's prayer after the October 1944 selections), his tone stays consistent throughout the book. For example, after writing about the death of his best friend Alberto among the thousands of others who went on the evacuation march expecting to live, all Levi says on the matter is, "Perhaps someone will write their story one day." This assists in creating a certain type of credibility. In the Author's Preface, Levi states that he only wishes to impart facts and meditations so as to prompt the reader's study on certain aspects of human nature. The politeness of Levi's tone aligns with scientific inquiry. Critics have stated that this tone succeeds in communicating the enormity of the atrocity that occurred.