The Importance of Origin in Borowski, Essay Example

The Importance of Origin in Borowski’s “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentleman”

“This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentleman” places great emphasis on where the characters come from because many different people from different places are at Auschwitz. This led to the formation of communities made up individuals from the same the same background. However, different ethnicities had different relationships with the camp police. For example, the Greeks and Russians were treated very poorly and less likely to get food. On the other hand, the French and Poles were allowed top picks of food in addition to being allowed to select clothing items of their choosing from the prisoners who would be sent to their deaths.

While the origin of the individuals staying at Auschwitz was seemingly irrelevant, it did in part dictate who would live or die. In an environment where life is devalued and material objects valued, the role of home is a good memory that survivors wished to return to. The thought of returning to normalcy is what encouraged many death camp prisoners to do what it took to survive. In the case of the narrator and Henri, this meant desensitizing themselves to the death and suffering around them and instead focusing on how they would obtain extra food and the clothing they needed to get by. In addition to needing these items for direct survival, they were acquired to bargain with camp police and trade with other individuals in the prison for other goods and services. It was certainly difficult to survive under these conditions, but thoughts of home is what managed to keep everyone alive.