Man's Search for Meaning: A Narrative from the Holocaust

Victor E. Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning (1946) is a documentation of the experiences of the Jews in the concentration camps. As Frankl himself had a tough time in the camp, he talks about the necessity of finding a meaning and purpose in life which would help one in overcoming the hardships. Reduced to a mere number, deprived of his personal identity, Frankl witnesses and experiences the "barbed wire sickness". A dark sense of humour takes its place in the mind when the prisoners have nothing to lose except their "ridiculously naked lives". The narrator speaks about the different transformations in the mind of the prisoners during their stay. He says, "Apart from that strange kind of humour, another sensation seized us: curiosity". He perceives it as a certain reaction to the strange circumstances they are placed in. They find themselves adjusting to the most inconvenient situations, even finding comfort in them. This is the first phase of their psychological reactions to the trauma.

The hopelessness at the camp prompted many inmates to contemplate suicide. Frankl made himself a firm promise that he would not "run into the wire". It is the most popular method of suicide by touching the electrically charged fence around the camp. Frankl's work talks about the need of finding a purpose in the face of adversity. Frankl also puts forward a psychotherapeutic method, namely logotherapy, which involves recognizing a goal in life and incessantly pursuing it in order to survive difficult situations. It is in this light that Frankl's seminal work is a strong narrative in resistance literature. The human spirit of resilience and survival in adversities is something we must remember and celebrate in times of the unjust war on Palestinians. Let us hope that humanity prevails. 

Renjitha. K. R, Head, Dept. of English, Al Shifa College of Arts and Science, Kizhattoor, Perinthalmanna