Man’s Search for Meaning is a difficult, useful book. Difficult in that it describes Viktor Frankl’s experiences in concentration camps during the Holocaust and useful because it also includes the lessons he learned from those experiences. I knew what it was about before ordering it, so I decided to wait until I was in a good place mentally before reading it. Now that I’ve gone through the book, here are my thoughts on it.
Frankl’s descriptions of life in the concentration camps were the hardest parts for me to read. Although his parents and wife were killed in gas chambers, Frankl avoided this fate by being sent to work camps instead of death camps. He and his fellow prisoners spent long hours doing hard manual labor in freezing weather while wearing ragged clothing and subsisting on little more than bread and watered-down soup. As their bodies wasted away from the malnutrition and grueling labor, they gradually became numb to their situation. They became immune to the verbal abuse the SS guards and kapos (prisoners who had been given some authority over their fellow prisoners) hurled at them and developed a kind of acceptance of their situation. Those who survived and were eventually freed from the camps went through an adjustment phase in which they had to learn how to feel pleased again after being tormented for so long.
Frankl notes that the prisoners who maintained a reason to keep going (such as being reunited with family, resuming their career, making a difference in the world, etc) had a better chance of surviving than those without such a reason. Every so often, a prisoner would give up and lie docile in bed while smoking a cigarette. No amount of persuasion, threats, or punishments could get them up, and they died shortly thereafter. As a psychiatrist, Frankl developed a theory called logotherapy based on this need for meaning in life. He quotes Friedrich Nietzsche in saying “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” The why can vary from one person to the next; the important thing is having a why. And, although Frankl does say that meaning can be found through suffering, he considered intentionally putting oneself through unnecessary suffering to be masochistic rather than heroic.
One of the most surprising things I read in the book was Frankl’s rejection of the idea of collective guilt. He said that some guards showed a certain degree of kindness and compassion to the prisoners, with one even using his own money to buy medicine for some of them. After they were liberated, some former prisoners hid that guard in the woods until the leader of the American forces promised that no harm would come to him. In contrast, some kapos were incredibly cruel and brutal to their fellow prisoners. I teared up when I read those passages since this is an area in which I often struggle. This was a much-needed reminder to avoid generalizing, find the good in people wherever possible, and forgive those who have hurt me. I’d say that was the best part of the book and, if nothing else, I’m glad I read it just for those passages.
Everyone should read Man’s Search for Meaning. I say that about a lot of books but this is one that I think could do a lot of good right now for what is has to say about suffering, forgiveness, finding meaning in life, and relating to one another. However, as I mentioned in the first paragraph, I would recommend a cautious approach. Some of the descriptions of life in the concentration camps might be triggering, especially for those who have already suffered a great deal in life. I’m glad I waited until I was in a good place before reading it and I’d encourage you to do the same. When you’re ready, though, give it a read. It’s well worth it.
