Ladies and gentlemen, to the gas chamber, is a collection of short stories where the author describes his experiences in the concentration camp. It is a reflection of the events that took place during the Second World War. The setting is in Canada and the narrator together with some of his friends, are prisoners that have the responsibility of unloading Jewish prisoners who are sent to the country to work. The title of the novel is derived from a statement that was being told to the Jews prisoners as they were directed to the gas chambers. The prisoners have no other alternative to get their meals and clothes rather than doing this kind of work. It is a painful experience especially for the Jews prisoners who are packed in the cars like goods. They are denied food and water through their journey and as they arrive they wish for such an offer. The pain in the train is too much and so irritating to the guards have to shoot in the air. The sound of the bullet has become a very scary thing among the prisoners that basically signifies to them that death is knocking. For their lives to be spared and hopefully a promise of deliverance, they have to persevere and keep quiet even when they are in dire need. The Jews come with food and other belongings of which the food is taken by the prisoners.
Thesis
The characters in the story are filled with horror as they see the unfolding of events among the Jews prisoners. Since there is nothing much they can do to help the prisoners, they choose to ignore their cries by directing them to the necessary places. For those that appear helpless, the soldiers have no otherwise but to shoot them dead. The soldiers are seen shooting in the air when they can not handle the cry of the Jews prisoners in the trains. The shooting is meant to scare them so that they remain quiet. They can however of great assistance to them if they provided at least some water to them. It would also be better if the prisoners were given an idea of where they were going to psychologically prepare themselves.
This was a tactic that was applied by the Nazis to conquer their enemy during world war two. As the Jews prisoners were transported to Canada, some of them were made to work which provided cheap and free labor. The prisoners were to work in the mines, construction sites and also carry out some household activities. They were a source of cheap labor to the Germans who would concentrate on the war as the prisoners took care of other labor activities. Their possessions were also taken in and put into the government coffer. This hence meant that there was a double benefit for the German coffer. After the Jews prisoners were taken from the trains, their personal belonging together with the money that was taken was used to empower the soldiers to fight the war. They also had the advantage of being stronger considering that the prisoners were absolutely in their hands. They had the option of either sparing their lives or making them work for them or rather kill those that proved to be stubborn and a nuisance. The characters of the narrative could be good people that had been changed by the prevailing circumstances.
For the prisoners it was a means of survival, they had to ignore the cries and pleas of the Jews prisoners and rush for their food. The prisoners were required to go to the trains and collect the things the Jews had carried in the trains. They would eat the food, take some of the clothes and forward the other items to the concerned authority. This was the main way through which they would be fed and clothed. The soldiers were also under the command of the government to do all that was necessary to ensure order in the camp. There was however a lack of concern for humanity following the killings of innocent beings. The prisoners were being transported to places they did not know and their efforts to inquire were ignored. They lived in fear with a life of uncertainty. To them, it was either hard labor or face death, all this for the mistakes they had not done. It was all about the war and letting the strong party win. It was a season where every principle of the war wanted to prove to the world that they were the most powerful. It did not matter to them who died but rather to prove their superiority.
References
The Norton Anthology of Western Literature, Volume 2 (8th edition), Lawall, Sarah, ed.