Survival in Auschwitz

by

Primo Levi

A Kapo is a prisoner who has been placed in a position of authority over other prisoners, most often as the leader of a Kommando. Kapos may be Jewish or non-Jewish prisoners, but in either case receive special benefits and favorable treatment from the guards.

Kapo Quotes in Survival in Auschwitz

The Survival in Auschwitz quotes below are all either spoken by Kapo or refer to Kapo. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Dehumanization and Resistance Theme Icon
).
Chapter 7. A Good Day Quotes

At least for a few hours, no quarrels arise, we feel good, the Kapo feels no urge to hit us, and we are able to think of our mothers and wives, which usually does not happen. For a few hours we can be unhappy in the manner of free men.

Related Characters: Primo Levi (speaker)
Page Number: 76
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9. The Drowned and the Saved Quotes

That they were stolid and bestial is natural, when one thinks that the majority were ordinary criminals, chosen from among the German prisons for the very purpose of their employment as superintendents of the camps for Jews; and we maintain it was a very apt choice, because we refuse to believe that the squalid human specimens whom we saw at work were an average example, not of Germans in general, but even of German prisoners in particular.

Related Characters: Primo Levi (speaker)
Page Number: 92
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10. Chemical Examination Quotes

Without hatred and without sneering, Alex wipes his hand on my shoulder, both the palm and the back of the hand, to clean it; he would be amazed, the poor brute Alex, If someone told him that today, on the basis of this action, I judge him and Pannwitz and innumerable others like him, big and small, in Auschwitz and everywhere.

Related Characters: Primo Levi (speaker), Alex, Doktor Pannwitz
Page Number: 108
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Survival in Auschwitz LitChart as a printable PDF.
Survival in Auschwitz PDF

Kapo Term Timeline in Survival in Auschwitz

The timeline below shows where the term Kapo appears in Survival in Auschwitz. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2. On the Bottom
Dehumanization and Resistance Theme Icon
Racial Hierarchy Theme Icon
...work in a Kommando, usually comprised of 50 to 150 laborers, each governed by a Kapo. Unskilled Kommandos are usually led by prisoners, while skilled labor Kommandos most often have Polish... (full context)
Chapter 4. Ka-Be
Dehumanization and Resistance Theme Icon
Adaptability, Chance, and Survival Theme Icon
The Kapo arrives and strikes the workers for the disruption, though the blows do not hurt compared... (full context)
Chapter 5. Our Nights
Adaptability, Chance, and Survival Theme Icon
...and new Kommando where they are unaware of the rules, customs, the inclinations of the Kapo. Every unknown element is a threat to his survival. (full context)
Chapter 6. The Work
Dehumanization and Resistance Theme Icon
Adaptability, Chance, and Survival Theme Icon
Oppression, Power, and Cruelty Theme Icon
...courteous, and Levi appreciates his company when they are assigned to the same Kommando. The Kapo accompanies his Kommando to the worksite, hands them off to a civilian supervisor, and goes... (full context)
Adaptability, Chance, and Survival Theme Icon
Racial Hierarchy Theme Icon
...speaks so as not to disturb the brief reverie. After the period is up, the Kapo quietly, almost apologetically, tells his men to get back outside and work once more. “Oh... (full context)
Chapter 7. A Good Day
Dehumanization and Resistance Theme Icon
Adaptability, Chance, and Survival Theme Icon
...food, tools, and supplies) has managed to obtain a large amount of civilian soup. Their Kapo, a decent man, is happy to occasionally let their organizer sneak away from his work... (full context)
Chapter 8. This Side of Good and Evil
Dehumanization and Resistance Theme Icon
Adaptability, Chance, and Survival Theme Icon
Moral Relativity Theme Icon
Racial Hierarchy Theme Icon
...of existence. Anything that can be stolen and may be useful to other prisoners, to Kapos (who need supplies for their workers) or to civilians is pilfered and introduced to the... (full context)
Chapter 9. The Drowned and the Saved
Adaptability, Chance, and Survival Theme Icon
Moral Relativity Theme Icon
Racial Hierarchy Theme Icon
Oppression, Power, and Cruelty Theme Icon
...most common strategy is to become a “prominent”: a Jewish camp official such as a Kapo, doctor, cook, or night-guard. Being a prominent is advantageous and hard-won, but the fear of... (full context)
Chapter 10. Chemical Examination
Adaptability, Chance, and Survival Theme Icon
Racial Hierarchy Theme Icon
...it was assumed that the Kommando would be a skilled trade unit, and that the Kapo should naturally be a chemist, it is instead a German “professional delinquent,” a small buffoon... (full context)