Holocaust Horror in Primo Levi's "The Last Christmas Of The War"

The Last Christmas of the War By Primo Levi


Critical Analysis:


In this autobiographical memoir, the writer as a skilled chemist describes the situation of the Jewish, and other people, who were damaged during the World War-II especially by the German Hitter's (Nazi's) attack and their cruelty of killing keeping the people in the concentration camp in Auschewitz (Monowitz). It was 1944, the writer was inside the double barred camp guarded by some people whom they prohibited to talk each other. The writer said that they could hear the bombs, and read the newspapers, which were almost damaged. Tasks were given to them settling with the filthy and damaged things. There used to be a "guided tour" of Hitler Youth in the camps, the children-soldiers were forced to call the prisoners filthy, thieves, subversive, bandits, and so on, by their head. The writer as a chemist remembered his task in the laboratory with his experiment and compared the situation of that time. He was requested by Frau Mayer for repairing her bicycle using the word "please" which gave him life that he had not had such words for three more years which he felt as if three thousand years. He repaired it because her whisper of "Christmas will soon be here" could give him hope for getting some food. Mayor provided a pack of chocolates, powdered milk, and so on which he got with very difficulty because there were people who were not given any food for a long time. He became very happy, shared it to Albert. They put it in their pockets as the hoped that they could hardly get chance to eat. The writer's jacket flew in the air that contained the food. Then he asked for another jacket going half naked to the barracks supply master revealing it as a "crime" because they thought being robbed was crime. They provided him a jacket and told him to sew the registration number on it, otherwise he would get twenty-five whacks with a stick. He was surprised why such a good friend, Alberto accompanied with him. They both shared the food, which was secured by Alberto, enjoying and celebrating the last Christmas of the war and imprisonment. A third friend was also accompanying them with the food at their expense blessing them. The writer is sure that the friend may be blessing him. When he gets food package in Christmas he remembers of a time that he used to be with his sister. He finds himself alone though he celebrates happily with his friend in the camp.
The writer compares and contrasts being a Jew, a communist against Hitler's army. He also finds that being against was to live quite a different life. He could only read broken pieces of paper, and collecting brick pieces scattered everywhere. It was very different situation because he was a chemist. As he narrates various details of his memory in the concentration camp, he is quite opposite to Hitler’s brutality although he was also a German.