Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
The ways in which the Nazis dehumanized the Jews and broke them down into machines that did as they were ordered until they died is the major theme of this book. What images does Levi use to get this point across? Here's one early example:
When we finish, everyone remains in his own corner and we do not dare lift our eyes to look at one another. There is nowhere to look in a mirror, but our appearance stands in front of us, reflected in a hundred livid faces, in a hundred miserable and sordid puppets. We are transformed into the phantoms glimpsed yesterday evening. (2.20)
Why would Levi describe himself and the prisoners as "phantoms?" It makes sense, doesn't it, after he sees the prisoners walking into the roll-call square, making sure they march precisely to the beat of the drum. It's significant, then, that "phantoms" are not even remotely human.
In fact, the book's dominant images are ones of dehumanization. Auschwitz is, after all, "a great machine to reduce us to beasts" (3.12). Check out this laundry list of terms that Levi uses to capture this: "beasts," "insects," "machines," "puppets," "shadows," "cringing dogs," "terrified cattle," "worms," and "mud people."
Got the picture? What are some particular connotations of, for example, "terrified cattle" and "puppets"? What do they suggest, and why might these be particularly effective ways to describe the relationship between the Jewish prisoners and the Nazi masters?