Journal 01 : The Journey

The first chapter of the novel, as the name implies, marks the beginning of a journey where humanity will eventually fade into oblivion, and the existence of numerous Jews shall be annihilated completely.
The chapter delves into how the author and his companions are arrested by the Fascist militia, and how their journey begins after their deportation to Auschwitz in Germany. A key idea revealed in the first paragraph is how racism had compelled the author, Primo Levi to lead a life of delirium, dwelling in hallucinations of a life with "sincere male and bloodless female friendships." The thought of seeking solace in such utopic ideas clearly indicates how prevalent trends in society were a complete betrayal for him. Levi further elaborates on this notion by talking of a world inhabited by "civilized cartesian phantoms" - alluding to the philosophy of French philosopher, René Descartes (1596-1650). Descartes' Cogito Ergo Sum (I Think, therefore I am), underlines the essence of existence. Ironically, as the storyline progresses, their thoughts and subsequently, their existence is obliterated, both, physically and emotionally.
A prominent theme of the first chapter is the idea of punishment without having committed any wrongdoing or crime. Primo Levi elucidates this by comparing the state of the Jews going to Auschwitz to a criminal, who has been sentenced to death, and how the death penalty reveals to him that "all passions and anger have died down," and the death sentence, is merely a means of enforcing justice, and for the welfare of society. It therefore provides a sense of acceptance and signifies a sense of "spiritual comfort." However, for Levi and his fellow companions, this was futile since they had not done anything wrong to be punished for.
The style of writing is extremely vivid, with attention to fine details and exemplary use of imagery and symbols. The sentence, “And night came, and it was such a night that one knew that human eyes would not witness it and survive,” elevates the intensity of the poignancy and the trauma of the Jews. Levi also tries to induce a train of thought in the readers’ minds by asking questions seen in the following section from the chapter, “Would you not do the same? If you and your child were going to be killed tomorrow, would you not give him to eat today?” Through these questions, Levi establishes personal connections between the story and the reader. Even though today, the suffering is unimaginable for us, these questions evoke a strong feeling of sympathy and pain in the reader.
Primo Levi also makes fantastic use of symbols. By comparing dawn to a betrayer, he shows how their life was in fact a race against time. In the concluding paragraph alluding to Greek mythology, he compares the German soldier in their lorry to Charon, the ferryman of Hades who ferried dead bodies across the river Styx. Thus, Primo Levi and his companions were being led to imminent doom. Levi plays close attention to details of language by incorporating elements of German, such as Wieviel Stuck, and geographical details, such as the names of various places they traveled through, thereby making the story more realistic and accurate.
The first chapter thus, sets the stage for the remaining story to unfurl. The journey into torture and angst had just begun….