Man's Search for Meaning

Man's Search for Meaning, a book written by Viktor Frankl is a fantastic book that gives an account of prison life, but at the same time providing valuable insights about human life. In his book, Frankl gives a startling account of what the Jews went through during the holocaust, in which many Jews were persecuted in Europe. The well-written books provide readers with a first-hand understanding of how the holocaust was as witnessed by one of the survivors, who lived to tell of his experience—Frankl. Whereas Frankl reveals to us of the cruelty of the holocaust, his writing informs readers of the challenges faced in the concentration camps, and the resulting experience of having to go through stress, which in turn shape individual’s resilience and performance.
 In the German concentration camps, Frankl and his friend go through a difficult time characterized by torture and trauma. Frankl tells of the misery that prisoners had to stand during their stay in the camp. Often, many would die of starvation because the food was hard to come by. In addition, Frankl notes that the mistreatment was rife in the Concentration camps where prisoners worked for long hours while at the same time being overworked. In all these experiences, Frankl informs the reader that all prisoners had hope. In fact, Frankl points to one prisoner who was confident that his life was going to be saved though he was waiting to be executed (Frankl 87). In all these experiences, Frankl point that human goes through challenging experience, which can boost their hope in overcoming their hurdles.

Throughout his book, Frankl mentions that trial and suffering are some of the experiences that people ignore, yet they have a positive influence on people’s lives in the camp. While narrating the experience of the camp, Frankl makes the readers believe that men and women have exceptional abilities. Not just the bravado to make other prisoners and torture them in the gas chambers, but also to withstand the horrors of mistreatment and sentenced to a life full of suffering. From this reading, it is quite evident that many people end up giving to conditions that surround them. However, many people did not despair as they endured the horrors of the concentration camp. Refusing to die or to be silenced by the conditions of torture, Frankl points that men and women’s greatest desire is to find the meaning and purpose in their lives (Frankl 93).

What is striking in Frankl books is the notion that men and women can decide on how they want to live. Using the example of the camp experience, Frankl admits that both the biological factor and environment factors can shape how people are, but living a certain life is a choice of oneself (Frankl 48). This statement has a profound effect on how individuals think when they are confronted with suffering and other horrors of life. Needless to say, it points out that many people are not aware of what they can achieve. Instead, people seem to take events for their face value, though they have more meaning to people than it seems.

Written Frankl a survivor of the holocaust, the book gives an account of the value of human achievement when they go through suffering. In the prison camp, facing a new day was considered an impressive achievement, and prisoners took their time to appreciate their resilience and turn their emotion to a clear picture of emerging victors. As highlighted in the book, Frankl reveals that men and women can find meaning in life even when they are going through a lot of suffering. Certainly, people need to appreciate their experiences as this forms an integral part of their success when faced with challenges.