"Experiences in a Concentration Camp" (through page 72) Summary and Analysis

This section begins by revisiting the psychological reaction of apathy and discussing the severe undernourishment of the prisoners. Survival was difficult based on the little food they were provided. A typical daily meal consisted of a 10 ? oz piece of bread and 1 ? pints of watery soup, often less. This was the direct cause of many deaths due to starvation, and indirectly it caused many more as the malnourishment would cause weakness and sickness that would ultimately result in a trip to the gas chambers. Because hunger was a constant part of the prisoners' reality, talk in the trenches would often turn to food, especially when the SS was absent. The greatest difficulty was waking up to the shrill sound of a whistle at dawn, awoken from an exhausted...