"Survival in Auschwitz
Nach dem Abort, vor dem Essen,
Hande waschen, nicht vergessen.
(After the latrine, before eathing, wash your hands, do not forget.)"
.
This is one of the writings scribbled on the wall in the washroom of Auschwitz. I thought it was pretty amusing how it said that in order to survive in Auschwitz, you need to wash your hands, because in reality, there is much more to surviving in Auschwitz than just washing your hands. Also, in the book, Primo Levi mentions many times that he thought that washing didn't really help to keep himself hygienic, because not only was the water limited but dirty from the beginning also. This shows how primitive the condition that the Jews were living in were. They were deprived of everyday items, such as soap and water, and had to fight for these. In our world, we would be considered dirty if we didn't wash our hair at most every two days, but just only approximately fifty years ago, there were millions of people stealing and cheating each other for a small piece of soap to wash their hands or faces. I do not blame Primo Levi for being pessimistic about washing, and arguing that he should not wash , because it will not make him better, nor make him live longer. This is the kind of attitude Auschwitz places on people; it makes them lose hope and motivation in everything, it turns them into vegetables, breathing but not really living.
No comments:
Post a Comment