Journal 11: The Canto of Ulysses

'And over our heads the hollow seas closed up."

"The Canto of Ulysses" is a section from Dante's "Divine Comedy." The chapter provides a sense of respite from the otherwise morbid details of the book, and the rigours at Auschwitz. It also shows Levi's keen sense of patriotism, and is rather interesting to note how it has sustained itself even through the dire struggles of Auschwitz. He alludes to the magnificence of the mountains at Turin and how memories of them were evoked in his mind. Being in a foreign culture myself, and staying away from my homeland, I fully understand the trauma going on in Levi’s mind even though I have not undergone any of the struggles at Auschwitz. Probably Levi intends to evoke a feeling of empathy not for himself, but for all the detainees at Auschwitz. Even though this particular chapter does fall out of place in the text, it is extremely interesting to see his patriotism and pride in his country’s literary production, as well as the feeling of nostalgia that overcame him. For me, this chapter is significant cause it shows what actually remained of a man, after he had virtually been stripped of everything and been reduced to the status of a number. It clearly highlights the strength of one’s culture which is such a deeply engrained idea that it sustained itself even through the tumult at Auschwitz !