Survival in Auschwitz is a memoir written by Primo Levi, an Italian Jewish Holocaust survivor who was sent to and worked in the Auschwitz-Monowitz labor camp during the last years of World War II. Levi's memoirs are significant for their contributions to the historical documentation of the Holocaust, as well as providing a profound personal account through his recollections of life in Auschwitz. Although the memoirs manage to document some of the history of the Holocaust and Levi's memories, it is evident that Levi's memoirs tell us more about the memory of the Holocaust due to gaps in the historical contribution of the memoirs, the effect of the memory on Levi's writing process, as well as how the memoir impacts memory communities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay When attempting to reconstruct the past, there are two means by which this can be accomplished: history and memory. The former refers to structured learning about the past using facts and documentation supported by evidence, most commonly through primary sources written or produced by people who were present at the time of the historical event in question. In contrast, memory refers to reliving or understanding historical events through the personal memories and experiences of others, which are passed down and transmitted through memory communities in collective memory. This is recognized by Eviatar Zerubavel in “Social Memoirs: Steps Towards a Sociology of the Past.” Since memory is shared within various social groups known as “mnemonic communities” (Zerubavel 289) and stored in physical and virtual locations known as “social sites of memory” (Zerubavel 291), our memory would therefore extend much further what we have personally. experienced, allowing us to learn more about history through the memories of others. Examples of this, in terms of knowledge of the events of the Holocaust, are historical poetry such as Levi's “Epitaph” (Levi 11) and the testimonies of survivors of what Annette Wieviorka calls “the age of testimony” (Wieviorka XV). This includes the works of Elie Wiesel, who writes because he believes he "owes [his] memory to the dead" (Wiesel 16), and Levi's Survival of Auschwitz. Regarding the historical contribution of the memoirs, it is undeniable that Levi's narratives provide in-depth insight into life both as a prisoner and as a labor camp worker at Auschwitz. Each chapter explains a different aspect of how he ultimately managed to survive living in the Monowitz camp, from his deportation and arrival to life under the prison hierarchy, the inner workings of the black market, as well as surviving selection several times, before finally getting released by the Soviet army. All of these are unique experiences for him, but still serve as first-hand documentation for the historical record of the Holocaust. As Doris Bergen mentions in War & Genocide, Levi's testimonies about the Holocaust were “some of the most insightful reflections ever written on that event” (Bergen 180). This is true based on how Levi's words match the factual evidence of events during the final years of World War II, such as how he began his memoirs by describing his "good luck" (Levi 9) that he was deported to Auschwitz. in 1944, and Bergen states in War & Genocide that the Germans had personally deported Italy's Jewish population “beginning in 1943” (Bergen 180). However, Bergen then goes on to say that “most of the Italian Jews murdered during the Holocaust died in 1944 orearly 1945” (Bergen 180). This already shows a gap in Levi's accounts as he was clearly not part of the majority who died, whether in the gas chambers or otherwise, like the "women...children...old men" (Levi 20) of the freight trains that he never saw again. Beyond this, Levi's experiences in relation to the Holocaust as documented through his memoirs do not begin until 1944, while anti-Jewish aggression by the Reich government occurs long before Levi is deported and involves experiences other than sending to concentration camps, such as the various pogroms occurring throughout Eastern Europe and the ghettoization of Polish Jews from “late 1939 to early 1949” (Bergen 111). Despite their historical accuracy and detailed accounts of life in Auschwitz, Levi's experiences are not representative of the fate that most Holocaust victims faced, as such victims faced a wide range of outcomes that did not necessarily lead to sending to Auschwitz, not to mention surviving. There. Thus, his memoir leaves more gaps than it fills in terms of historical knowledge of the Holocaust, and is therefore comparably more indicative of his memory than of his history. Similarly, Survival in Auschwitz can be seen as more memory-based due to the impact of Levi's memory on the writing of his memoirs. Having been part of the surviving minority of Holocaust prisoners and having written these memoirs “after his return to Italy in the autumn of 1945” (Thomson 142), Levi is fully aware of the outcome of the Second World War and feels “oppressed from shame." (Levi 150) and the guilt of having survived. Unlike other similarly autobiographical primary sources that may have been produced by other concentration camp prisoners, Levi uses his memoirs to relive his experiences in Auschwitz, with the knowledge that he will survive the entire ordeal and live to tell the tale. history. Content-wise, his memoir would therefore be very different from an account written as the events of the Holocaust unfolded, thus altering how he would have viewed and reflected on his experiences rather than capturing his immediate, unconscious responses. Wieviorka also explains in the introductory chapter of The Age of the Witness that historians treat testimonies "with considerable distrust" (Wieviorka XIII), using them only very occasionally to construct a historical narrative since such accounts are rarely impartial or impartial (Wieviorka XIV). With this in mind, in addition to Levi's awareness of the outcome of the Second World War and feelings of remorse towards his own fate, Survival in Auschwitz cannot therefore be used as factual historical evidence, as it primarily documents Levi's memories of Auschwitz and lacks neutrality or objectivity in the opinions expressed. Furthermore, Levi's motivations for writing his memoir also discredit it as a historical source. Wiesel, also a Holocaust survivor who feels guilty for surviving, writes to honor the dead, because he “owes nothing to the living, but everything to the dead” (Wiesel 16). His shame at being able to enjoy a post-Holocaust future while many innocent people – old and young – died is echoed by Levi, who chose to write for the sake of his “inner liberation” (Levi 9) with an almost therapeutic approach. to face his experiences. He also acknowledges that his memoirs “add nothing” (Levi 9) to what readers already know about the history of the Holocaust; its purpose is instead to formulate a study of the human mind from a sociological perspective. Although Levi makes an astute comparison between the Lager and “ungigantic biological and social experiment” (Levi 87), one relies on facts to document history, rather than aiming to understand it from other social aspects, or “enjoy writing and entertaining [its] potential readers” (Roth 183). Another way that memory influenced Levi's writing process is his decision to “write his book backwards” (Thomson 147), “in order of urgency” (Levi 10). By deciding to write whatever chapter he considers most or most important, Levi is able to develop more careful, prose-like descriptions and transform his memoirs into a "teeming, intensely literary work of great complexity" (Thomson 148), which It's another rarely seen feature. in other historical sources. Within the fragmented order in which After having written Surviving Auschwitz, Levi also makes some allusions to famous works of Italian literature, in particular to the chapter entitled "The Song of Ulysses" in which he attempts to recite passages from the "Divine Comedy" of Dante. This reference to Hell and Dante's journey through Hell ultimately becomes representative of Levi's journey to Auschwitz, showing how he viewed his experiences through a literary scope. Therefore, Survival in Auschwitz tells us more about Holocaust memory based on Levi's unique interpretation of the psychological meaning of this historical event, none of which helps historians reconstruct its historical narrative. Finally, the impact of Levi's memories on the collective memory of the Holocaust plays an immense role in the memory of the Holocaust. As he mentions in the dream sequence of chapter 5 of Survival at Auschwitz, his sister and her friend are just two of the numerous listeners who have gathered to listen to the story he is telling, this dream which is also his friend Alberto's "and the dream of many others, perhaps of everyone" (Levi 60). This demonstrates his intention to share his story even outside the sphere of other survivors, allowing him to tell his story first to strangers on the Milan-Turin express train, then to his sister, before finally reaching the general public (Thomson 144 -45), successfully expanding the collective memory with just his words. Although his skills as a storyteller were applauded by his listeners, he did not encounter such warm reactions when he put his words into print. In his search for a publisher, he faced multiple rejections from both American and Italian publishing houses (Thomson 155-57), ending his hopes of reaching a wider international audience with his memoirs. It was even rejected by a Protestant-Jewish publishing house because “the time wasn't right” (Thomson 157). During the interview with Daniel Toaff on Italian state TV, Levi recalls speaking to a Polish lawyer who translated his answers for passers-by around them. Levi's answer regarding his identity was altered, so he was a newly released political prisoner instead of being an Italian Jew. When questioned, the lawyer explained that “[it was] better for [him]; Poland is a sad country” (Return to Auschwitz). From this it is clear that Levi's pre-published story was able to contribute to collective memory on a small scale, only reaching a global scale once officially published. However, even so, the memoir's original title, If This Is a Man, was changed to Surviving Auschwitz for the American release (Roth 181), so as to promote a new message of strength and survival rather than retain its psychological implications. Levi subsequently became a “national monument” (Thomson 141) in Italy, a prominent figure who had the opportunity for both written interviews (Roth;.