Primo Levi portrays a component of his thoughts within himself during the second chapter. He also depicts the conditions of the Jews during their first encounters with a concentration camp. The circumstance that the Jews and Primo Levi were set in was devastating. They were treated as if product, rather than an individual human being. Even the worst of slaves had better treatment than that of the prisoners of the camp. Primo Levi states that during the first times of his camp life, he had many questions on the survival of himself and his inmates. As the Jews were ‘shipped’ to the concentration camps, they were stripped of their belongings. Treated as if trash, the Jews then were forced with showers and a process of ‘disinfections’. This was not a environment for human beings.
As I read through the chapter, I encountered with the fact that these prisoners had absolutely no hope. ‘Hope’ in turn is probably the best factor to derive a human to live on. As hope was depleted within the walls of the concentration camps, the prisoners, then naturally began to think that eventually, all would die. This state of mind is truly a horrifying thought because surrendering the will to live is the last resort any individual would take.
It is truly horrendous to be able to read and reluctantly acknowledge the fact that this was a true story. Within Primo Levi’s thoughts and actions, there are many analytical conclusions that can be set. Although the prisoners had questions on how to live with the flow of the concentration camps, they could not ask. Although the prisoners had physical and mental needs, they could not ask. In this kind of state, I believe it is futile to take action upon anything. Through this chapter, I began to realize how my situation wasn’t even close to bad let alone terrifying.
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