What Is Primo Levi's Life In Auschwitz?

Primo Levi and his group were captured and taken in 1943 in Italy during World War II by the Nazis for participating in a resistance group called “Justice and Liberty”. They were sent to Auschwitz Buna, a factory that created synthetic rubber and latex. After eleven astonishing months surviving as a laborer and a chemist inside Auschwitz, Primo Levi and the whole camp was saved by the Russian Army. Once Levi entered the camp his personal background and physical capabilities influenced the nature of his life in Auschwitz, as it did too for many other prisoners. Before World War II began Levi had just gotten a degree in chemistry in the University of Turin. In Auschwitz the Nazis opened a chemistry unit and with his professional background as
For example, the fittest and most physically developed prisoners were forced to join the Sonderkommando; this was a special works unit were prisoners would often work virtually non-stop for periods lasting up to four months in dehumanizing conditions. Having processed and disposed of many prisoners´ bodies who were sent to the gas chambers, they were then murdered themselves. On the other hand many other prisoners in moderate physical condition would normally have to work as a laborer which consisted of a minimum of nine hours of labor work each day. Levi describes the soul destroying nature of labor in the concentration camp while he was recovering from an injury. “When this music plays we know that our comrades, out in the fog, are marching like automatons; their souls are dead and the music drives them, like the wind drives dead leaves, and takes the place of their wills. There is no longer any will” (Primo, 4.47), with their wills completely broken and destroyed prisoners had given up hope and emptily followed orders and simply waited for their fate. There were many other positions as a laborers in Buna, Auschwitz, all of which led to a similar ending. There was a large factory that created synthetic rubber and although the work was physically less demanding many of the side effects of the chemicals produced in the factory would lead to death. Another unit
Working in the chemistry unit afforded prisoners a better chance of survival in the camp. Levi was astonished by this opportunity since the winter was coming and eight out of ten prisoners in the whole camp died of the cold, starvation, hyperthermia and or exhaustion. “He works too much and too vigorously: he has not yet learnt our underground art of economizing on everything, on breath, movements, even thoughts. He does not yet know that it is better to be beaten, because one does not normally die of blows, but one does of exhaustion, and badly, and when one grows aware of it, it is already too late.” (Primo, 14.6). Becoming a part of the chemistry unit enabled Levi to survive the winter working inside a lab in a warmer environment thereby saving energy. In addition, Levi would receive larger quantities of food. In order to join the chemistry department he needed to take a test which normally would have been very simple for him but for the fact that the test was only available in German, which he did not speak. Levi was extremely nervous and stressed because he knew that passing the test would be key to his survival. Having been in the camp for several months he knew that he was no match for the cold, insufficient food and hard labor. Part of Levi’s job as a chemist was to manufacture a few chemicals from the factory, and do research for the Nazi regime. The Nazi regime was very