preview

Summary Of The Journey By Primo Levi

Decent Essays

Primo Levi was a Jewish writer and Holocaust survivor from the concentration Auschwitz. Primo Levi talks about in his book called “Survival in Auschwitz” about what it means to survive. There are many quotes that stand out in his book and have strong importance to them. The first quote that stands out in Primo Levi’s book is in chapter one, “The Journey”. In this chapter, Primo Levi is describing his arrival. An important quote from this chapter is when Primo Levi says “They walked in squads, in rows of three, with an odd, embarrassed step, head dangling in front, arms rigid. On their heads they wore comic berets and were all dressed in long striped overcoats, which even by night and from a distance looked filthy and in rags. They walked in a large circle around us, never drawing near, and in silence began to busy themselves with our luggage and to climb in and out of the empty wagons” (Levi 20). Primo Levi is describing his arrival at Auschwitz. The importance of this quote is of the picture Primo Levi puts in the reader’s mind. Primo Levi does a great job describing in emotional detail of what his arrival was like. In the next paragraph, Primo Levi says “We looked at each other without a word. It was all incomprehensible and mad. But one thing we had understood. This was the metamorphosis that awaited us. Tomorrow we would be like them” (Levi 21). This quote stands out because it shows the realization Primo Levi had while watching the poor, lifeless Auschwitz prisoners work. By watching the prisoners, Primo Levi had fully acknowledged that this is the life that awaits him the next day. This is important for Primo Levi because by understanding what the future holds for him in Auschwitz, he can better prepare himself for survival in Auschwitz. Primo Levi has a couple quotes in chapter two, “On the Bottom,” that stand out and have significant importance to them. In Chapter two, Primo Levi talks about the numbers being tattooed on his arm and what it means to him. Primo Levi says “I have learnt that I am Haftling. My number is 174517; we have been baptized, we will carry the tattoo on our left arm until we die” (Levi 27). This quote had many importances to it. First, Levi says how they have just been

Get Access