DROWNED AND THE SAVED: DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
“The Lager was a university. It taught us to look around and to measure men.”
--Primo Levi
Some Questions To Consider
Why do you think Primo Levi wrote this book? Why does he think we should learn about the world of the camps? Does he ultimately offer "lessons" about the Holocaust? Why do you think he chose the title Drowned and the Saved?
What most surprised you about Drowned and the Saved?
To what extent does Levi identify patterns in regards to who "drowned" and who was "saved?"
How does Levi begin to describe and analyze the world of the camps?
What does Levi mean when he speaks of the "gray zone" and how does he use this as an analytical concept?
What role does moral judgment play in the gray zone and what role does it play overall in Drowned and the Saved?
What does Levi have to say about violence within the camps?
What does he write about the themes of escape, resistance and rebellion?
About the relationship between victims, collaborators and oppressors?
How would you describe Levi's use of language and how would you relate this to the overall themes of the book? What does Levi have to say about language within the camps?
Levi: "Reason, art and poetry are no help in deciphering a place from which they are banned." (p. 142) Comment.
What biographical details about Levi help us to better understand the book?
What does Levi have to say about history? About human nature?
Possible Extra Resources
William Deresiewicz, "
James Wood, "The
Art Of Witness,"
New Yorker (September 28, 2015).
John Leonard, "The Drowned And The Unsaved," Nation (April 9, 2001).
Diego Gambetta, "Primo
Levi's Last Moments,"
Boston Review (June 1, 1999).
Peter Porter, "
Claudio G. Segre, "Primo Levi Bearing Witness," Washington Post, March 13, 1988.
John Gross, "Books Of The Times," New York Times, January 5, 1988.
Drowned And The Saved Summary And Study Guide, Book Rags: