logo

36 pages 1 hour read

Primo Levi

The Drowned and the Saved

Primo LeviNonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1986

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapters 7-Conclusion Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 7 Summary: “Stereotypes”

Levi divides people who have experienced prison life, or other harsh circumstances, into two groups: those who talk about their experiences and those who keep it to themselves. Levi acknowledges the validity of both reactions and explains that those who speak often do so because they are asked to speak by “friends, children, readers, or even strangers” (169) who want to understand what happened. He acknowledges the challenges of this position; after all, those who speak are untrained witnesses to human history, not “historians nor philosophers” (169-170).

One persistent question, or collection of questions, has to do with escape, rebellion, or some other method of avoiding the difficult truth. At first, Levi explains, an optimism can be observed in persons for whom “the idea of imprisonment is firmly attached to the idea of flight or revolt” (171), especially because “escape cleanses and wipes out the shame of imprisonment” (171). Levi points out complications around these ideas. For example, Soviet prisoners of war “should have died instead of [surrender]” (171) and Japanese wartime soldiers gave up only to be “regarded with great contempt” (171). According to popular stories and films, a “typical prisoner is seen as a man of integrity” (172) whose ingenuity and resilience were eventually rewarded, an image that has little to do with the reality Levi and his fellow prisoners faced while in the Lagers.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 36 pages of this Study Guide

Plus, gain access to 8,450+ more expert-written Study Guides.

Including features:

+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools