The book in which I chose to read was written by Viktor Emil Frankl, entitled "Man's Search for Meaning." This book deals with Frankl's survival of four Nazi concentration camps, among them the most infamous, Auschwitz. "Viktor Frankl, in Man's Search for Meaning, examines the relationship between human conditioning and the human spiritual dimension of freedom and meaning" (Jornagen 2). Frankl's wife, father, Mother and brother all died in the camps. He and his sister were lucky enough to survive. In Man's Search for Meaning, Frankl did not consider himself a hero; rather he describes the heroes as being those who gave up their portions of bread to others, or those who gave their lives in order to save someone else from the gas chambers. On numerous occasions I was left in awe due to his determination to survive in the center of horrendous killings.
Throughout the book Frankl uses imagery to illustrate haunting images fro the camps, all in which came from his own experiences. He paints images, not of amazing human beings, but of amazing circumstances, which led average individuals to become in their own way, heroes. Anyone who has ever suffered a loss of a loves one will find comfort in the wisdom reflected in this story.
Frankl outlines three psychological stages in which individuals held captive went through as a result of the shock they experienced. .
The first stage a prisoner would experience is the period following his admission. The second stage is the period when he is well entrenched in camp routine. The third and final stage is the period following his release and liberation. Frankl would go on in depth to break down and dissect each individual stage, painting a very clear picture for the reader. Viktor Frankl later said of the second phase, "If my lack of emotion had not surprised me from the standpoint of professional interest, I would not remember this incident now, because there was so little feeling involved in it.