In chapter thirteen of Survival in Auschwitz, winter has finally overtaken the camp. Because of the excessive amount of prisoners and the dangerously low supply of rations, the Germans decide to conduct another selection.
While there were an abundance of issues with the process of the selection test, the part that stuck out to me the most was how the German's physiologically messed with those who had been sentenced to death. For two whole days, those doomed to die were served with double helpings of soup. This tactic made it seem like the Jews with the extra helpings had won the hasty selection and as a result were able to eat the meal of the person who will no longer be needing it. Instead, it all turned out to be a cruel trick of fate. The prisoners with high spirits and full stomachs were sent to the gas chambers, while those who were never rewarded merely continued to live in monotony.
This strange action got me thinking about the perverted physiological workings of the camp. No reward is an actual prize, just a precursor to something terrible.
Edit - Replied to Osten Belew and Leanne White.
While there were an abundance of issues with the process of the selection test, the part that stuck out to me the most was how the German's physiologically messed with those who had been sentenced to death. For two whole days, those doomed to die were served with double helpings of soup. This tactic made it seem like the Jews with the extra helpings had won the hasty selection and as a result were able to eat the meal of the person who will no longer be needing it. Instead, it all turned out to be a cruel trick of fate. The prisoners with high spirits and full stomachs were sent to the gas chambers, while those who were never rewarded merely continued to live in monotony.
This strange action got me thinking about the perverted physiological workings of the camp. No reward is an actual prize, just a precursor to something terrible.
Edit - Replied to Osten Belew and Leanne White.
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