Mausselman Case
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In the concentration camps there were two different types of people: those who had a chance of survival and those who were chosen for selection right away. They were referred to as the “Musselman”. These groups were total opposites, the musselman were individuals who gave up on life, refused to adapt to the camp, dwelled on the past, and had a psychological decline from the beginning. The other people learned the ways of the camp early, adapted from the start, and became associated with the right people.
The musselman were the vast majority of inmates at the camps. They usually were the first ones to be selected to go into the gas chamber, because they became inefficient and unable to work. They basically gave up on life and were just waiting to be killed. Instead of focusing on the task on hand they used to reminisce and hark back to when they had comfort from their families, food to eat every night, and a safe place to sleep instead of trying to do what is necessary to survive. In the book “Survival in Auschwitz”, the author bluntly describes what he thinks of musselman,”in any case, one knows that they are only here on a visit, that in a few weeks nothing will remain of them but a handful of ashes in some near-by field and a crossed-out number on a register” which is cruel but true of the time.
The other guys remained strong individual human beings. They were organized and defiant; they wanted to beat the “system” and the “big man” by surviving. They didnt want to give in to the Germans and become what they wanted them too, less than human. They worked the least possible they had to without getting beaten severely or killed, so they will have energy to keep fighting. Becoming associated with the right people can get you far in almost anything, so the campers grew relationships with people that would get them an advantage like an extra ration of food. They were determined to tell their story and keep anything this horrific from happening again.