Introduction
It goes without saying that life without equality, respect, functional autonomy, and justice for human being is of no relevance. There is no room for any suppression, discrimination, exploitation, and injustice in this peaceful and wonderful world. The very significance of living for any human being is defeated if there is not only a doubt of survival but also a possibility of death. In this backdrop of human doubt of survival, self-identity, exploitation, death, and discrimination, the autobiographical-like description of the book – “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” written by Tadeusz Borowski - deals with a dazzling, painful, mind-boggling, startling facts of merciless killing and torture by the Nazi regime during the second world war.
Body
This book mirrors the moral values of a prisoner who had become the integral part of crime, guilt, and pain of the Auschwitz concentration camp. This camp was involved in inflicting an organized death by killing, torture, starvation, disease, and use of gaseous chamber. The way in which the prisoners were forcibly made to participate in the gruesome killing, degradation, and annihilation of their own victims, is exploitatively painful and inhuman. The world is ruled by neither justice nor morality; crime is not punished nor virtue rewarded, one is forgotten as quickly as the other. “The world is ruled by power and power is obtained with money. To work is senseless, because money cannot be obtained through work, but through exploitation of others. And if we cannot exploit as much as we wish, at least let us work as little as we can. Moral duty? We believe neither in the morality of man nor in the morality of systems” (Borowski 168). This really displayed the reflection of the saddest elements of humanity where death and survival were in doubts. The sword of death was always hanging on the head to carry out the unlawful commands of superiors and kill not only the human beings but also the humanity. This shameful and painful presentation of facts has presented an attitude of the diseased and criminalized minds that deported the people from different regions, abused them mercilessly, and finally made them sleep permanently in the abode of God. Therefore, we should admit this bitter fact that such action was a blot on the face of humanity that displayed the suffering of the people who were killed and who killed.
Believe it or not, the beauty of life lies in moral dedication, honesty, simple living, integrity of character, and adherence to moral values, not in exploitation, suppression, and torture. “There can be no beauty if it is paid for by human injustice, nor truth that passes over injustice in silence, nor moral virtue that condones it” (Borowski 132). It is important to remember that the dilemma of dominance is ultimately dangerous in life. And, another factor that needs to be borne in mind is that we cannot survive in this world hating and killing everybody. We should not degrade our morality and just attitude in this world by being in trap of the dark shadow of power and money. “The world is ruled by neither justice nor morality; crime is not punished nor virtue rewarded, one is forgotten as quickly as the other. The world is ruled by power and power is obtained with money” (Borowski 180). The drop of love, respect, and co-existence can only bring about humane temperament among different class and creed of the people. In this background of the interpretation, the writer faces a predicament in his life and tries to show indirectly his personal struggles in life during the war-torn times of instability, suppression, and dominance. His gamut of latent criticisms strongly addressed the issues of the worlds and sufferings of all kinds of the people. “It is that very hope that makes people go without a murmur to the gas chambers, keeps them from risking a revolt, paralyses them into numb inactivity. It is hope that breaks down family ties, makes mothers renounce their children, or wives sell their bodies for bread, or husbands kill. It is hope that compels man to hold on to one more day of life, because that day may be the day of liberation. Ah, and not even the hope for a different, better world, but simply for life, a life of peace and rest” (Borowski 121). The message conveyed through this book is provoking and heart-touching. All his philosophy of presentation of facts in the form of fiction deals with basic attitude and problems of life had become an utter failure in all walks of life.
Conclusion
In the light of the aforesaid facts and analysis of this play, it gives us an educative message that the solemn responsibility of any human being is to ensure the preservation of humanity for the present and future generation. Without this, there is a possibility of keeping our self-existence in doubt and we are trying to invite problems for our own death and survival. Believe it or not, a safe, stable, and sustainable human relationship is the hallmark of humanity and human values. And, any discrimination and exploitation against any human being is a crime against humanity, and it is sign of bad omen for the existence of our well-being and the future generation. Therefore, we should endeavour hard to build the road of success in our lives by taking a moralistic, peaceful, and non-discriminatory temperament with “zero disparity” and “full of dignity, love and affection.”
Works Cited
Borowski, Tadeusz. This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen. New York: Penguin Books, 1976.
