You May be Alive, but are you Living?

Emily Butler


You  May be Alive, but are you Living?


What is the meaning of life? This question has been pondered by the greatest human thinkers, yet no one can ever agree on an answer. Some might say that you can find this meaning - or a clue to it - in the low points in human morality -situations that leave a person with virtually nothing, yet they find themselves pushing on each day. The Holocaust began 84 years ago and tore apart Western Europe. In the eyes of Nazi Germany, the lives of prisoners had no meaning. Surely the prisoners felt some purpose, however? Holocaust survivor Viktor E. Frankl answers this question and goes further by using his psychological studies to analyze human behavior during torturous days in Nazi concentration camps. He effortlessly combines this analyzation with accounts of his experiences, all in the form of Man’s Search for Meaning. As Frankl himself writes, “everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way” (66), showing that this book may be a step closer to answering the question we've all asked ourselves.

Frankl's words are sometimes blunt yet utterly heart-wrenching as he displays the truth of living in unbearable conditions, such as when he admitted that “The prisoner who had lost his faith in the future — his future — was doomed” (74). Viktor travels through several camps, including a very well-known one: Auschwitz. He is appointed as a doctor for other prisoners with typhus and observes the stages of prison life beginning with false hope and ending with a numbness of all emotion, as well as an animalistic defense of yourself and your loved ones. Through losing his wife, avoiding altercations with guards, and staring in the face of freedom, Frankl seems to come close to discovering why humans continue to live, no matter the situation.

It's hard to narrow down the great things about this book into a brief few. However, I can say that one outstanding attribute of Man’s Search for Meaning is the blend between Frankl’s personal experience in the camps and his psychological studies. The approach to the topic is extremely authentic and brings up aspects of camp life that most don't understand. Personal accounts bring emotion while psychological aspects provoke fascination in the reader. Dealing with such a serious topic while writing a book can go horribly wrong and end up sounding like a textbook or a horror movie. Frankl manages to keep a good balance of unpleasant details, however. There were plenty of aspects of camp life that were disheartening, and Frankl is sure to note that. He doesn't drag out descriptions that will just end up making the reader uncomfortable, though. The author also chooses all of the right situations he experienced to prove his point on the reactions of the human mind in such a scenario. His journey touches all of the complex emotions felt by a prisoner and the different classes that make up the camp hierarchy, such as the Capos: privileged prisoners that act more like guards. While this book focuses on the Holocaust, I feel like it brings up questions and observations that could be attributed to a wide range of situations in life. Frankl connects his terrible experiences to common things people experience, such as love - he claims that “Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality” (111). This book seems to be full of lessons worth learning for the reader.

While I find this book exceptional, every book has things that are worth criticizing. Frankl is always reemphasizing his main ideas throughout the book. While this is not a bad thing to an extent, the writing occasionally ends up sounding a bit repetitive. Also, there isn't a very obvious sequence of events. In other words, there's not really a prominent and no specific characters. This isn't a bad thing for everyone, but I know a good amount of people who wouldn't be able to focus on such a style of writing.

This book is one that I highly recommend for anyone who loves history and factual-based writing. With that in mind, those who tend to favor fictional books might not like this one as much. Also, this book is definitely for mature readers, and I wouldn't recommend it to any younger person due to that fact that it's a tough book to comprehend.

Overall, Man’s Search for Meaning is a factual yet emotionally driven work of art that magnificently questions the behaviors and possible meaning of humanity. The timeless work is a must-read for those wishing to question themselves and the world around them.