Eliezer says, “We were the masters of nature, the masters of the world. We had transcended everything—death, fatigue, our natural needs. We were stronger than cold and hunger, stronger than the guns and the desire to die, doomed and rootless, nothing but numbers, we were the only men on earth” (page 87). What does he mean by this? In what ways is this true, and in what ways is this ironic?

Question

in 2 sentences

Answer 1

Eliezer is describing the state of being he and the other prisoners have reached in the concentration camp, where they have become desensitized to their own basic human needs and have succumbed to a sense of numbness and isolation. While he presents this as a form of strength and resilience, it is ironic because it also signifies their dehumanization and loss of agency.