Borwski’s fictional memoir of his experience at the extermination camp of Birkenau raises a question of civilization and what’s it meant to be a human being. It’s undeniable that the whole Nazi system and its leaders – the Schutzstaffels (S.S.), the Nazi polices, leave many readers terrified with their inhumane personalities. Nonetheless, what is most inconceivably striking about the camp lies in how the physical and mental tortures at the camp have made even the normal and innocent Jewish, Greeks, Polish, French turn against each other for survival. One particular instant that speaks directly to the above statement occurs when Borowski is cleaning up dead bodies of infants, whom he describes as “naked little monsters with enormous heads and bloated bellies”, by giving them to the women at the extermination camp. While the women are all in “horror”, “covering their eyes”, the S.S officer unaffectedly “shakes his head in disgust” looking at the dreadful scene (702). More disgustingly, the lives these innocent babies are not as much of importance to him as smoking a cigarette – “his cigarette lighter is not working properly, he examines it carefully”. Borowski, on the contrary, is utterly aware of his actions – he even questions himself before Henri “Are we good people”. Even though Borowski appears to be inhumane and immoral in his obedience to the Nazi police, his desire to survive oust him from his standard of morality. At first, I was furious about Borowski’s actions and his, yet that irritation slightly drifts to Henri, who explains:
“Ah, on the contrary, it is natural, predictable, calculated. The ramp exhausts you, you rebel – and the easiest way to relieve your hate is to turn against someone weaker. Why, I’d even call it health”
Through this scene, it’s worth noticing the dysfunctionality of human behaviors and mindset. Under similar circumstance, people rationalize differently. While Borowski remains hesitant and doubtful of his action, Henri, on the other hand, simply attributes them to human nature.