Borowski’s Ladies and Gentlemen

Borowski’s Ladies and Gentlemen
Tadeusz Borowski writes about his experiences while in two Nazi concentration camps, one in Dachau and the other in Auschwitz. Everyone believed the Nazi soldiers were all inhumane and monstrous, but the narrator tries to highlight a bit on the brighter side of these soldiers and their collaborators. He mentions how these soldiers shared photos of their families back home and were concerned about them; also when they were among themselves they were friendly, for instance, when one guard tells Henri, “Hey you, fatty…pass mal auf, want a drink?” (Borowski, 2311). The collaborators’ human part was displayed when doing their first job where they are devastated with the idea of carrying dead infants from trucks as if they were chicken. This illustrates that despite their collaboration they still have that sense of concern and compassion deep in them.
In the case of ‘extraordinary’ circumstances and ‘ordinary ‘people,’ various responses under different conditions by different people were exemplified. When a mother walks out on her child because of the knowledge of what is going to happen next, the gassing shows the complicated and twisted decision taken by the mother under a tight condition (Borowski, 2317). The narrator, who is ‘ordinary,’ is in another similar situation where, with the awareness and witnessing of the brutality orchestrated by the Nazis and when given the option to collaborate, he compromises on everything to avoid the perils of torture by accepting the offer.

These ‘extraordinary circumstances’ calls for the individual of concern to acclimatize to the immediate situation and to take a stand based on a particular inclination.
The neutrality of Borowski’s character Tadeusz will be accompanied by some changes regarding the living and existence of the character. The difference would be seen regarding his peace as he would not be pitiful or deviant for his people. He also would miss some of the benefits that he enjoyed from his connection with the transportation individuals who believed Tadeusz was a Pole, the food he got which translated to power in the camps would then be lessened.

Works Cited
Borowski, Tadeusz. ““Ladies and Gentlemen, to the Gas Chamber”.” n.d. 2307-2320. Document.