Journal Entry #2

Journal Entry #2
Chapter 2 : On the Bottom

"And do not think that shoes form a factor of secondary importance in the life of the Lager. Death begins with the shoes; for most of us, they show themselves to be instruments of torture, which after a few hours of marching cause painful sores which become fatally infected. Whoever has them is forced to walk as if he was dragging a convict's chain."(34)

In chapter 2, Primo Levi described how he felt like being on the "bottom" of life. He describes how they were treated like animals, and were being tested like experimental tools. After readnig this chapter, I realized that I was taking many things for granted, and I wasn't being thankful for a lot of things. Spoons and bowls may seem very ordinary in our lives today, but back in the concentration camps, spoons and bowls were a matter of life and death. The passage above states how death began with shoes in the camps. In our lives today, shoes are essential and protect our feet, but we do not consider them as a protection, but just as "shoes." In Buna, however, shoes were a matter of life and death. The shoes constantly tortured them, and the shoes represented shackles of a prisoner to the jews.
While reading this story, I wondered if Primo had any hope of surviving the camp. By his desperate, but hopeless tone, it seems that Primo had no thought of surviving through this camp. In class, we discussed whether having hope, or becoming a beast was the key to survival in the camps. In my opinion, I think becoming like a beast, and having no hope was why Primo survived the camp. Of course, luck was also a big factor that contributed to his survival, but letting go of any humanistic character was the key to his survival.
People these days not only take advantage of what they have, but they also greed for more and more when they have all the necessities of life. Primo helped me realize once again that all the things I had was so much more than i needed. Ironically, however, people forget this lesson quickly and live on with their extravagant life again. I think it's just a matter of fact of looking back at yourself, and being thankful for what you have.