Question

Leonard spent several years in the Warsaw Ghetto before being put on a train to Treblinka. Upon arriving at Treblinka, Leonard is singled out from the rest. He is put to work, splitting stones that are used to build roads. Just before Treblinka is liquidated, Leonard is sent to another camp. He manages to survive the war. Leonard begins building a new life for himself. Still, every day, guilt hangs over him. What is MOST likely the reason for Leonard’s feelings?

Answer 1

Leonard's feelings of guilt are most likely due to survivor's guilt, a common experience among Holocaust survivors, given the massive loss of life and the arbitrary nature of survival in the face of the Holocaust's brutal genocidal policies.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most likely reason for Leonard's feelings of guilt is a psychological phenomenon known as survivor's guilt. This condition often affects individuals who have survived a traumatic event where others have perished, particularly if survival seemed random or undeserved. In the context of the Holocaust, survivors may have felt guilt for being alive when millions of others, including possibly their own family and friends, did not survive the genocide.

Leonard's survival, where he was singled out to work rather than immediately killed, would have starkly contrasted the fate of many others. The liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto, the transfer of Jews to forced-labor camps, and the extermination of those in death camps all contribute to the complex feelings experienced by survivors. Despite Leonard's lack of control over the situation, the randomness of his survival and the incredible loss of life can lead to persistent and profound feelings of guilt.

Moreover, considering the millions of Jews and other minorities killed during the Holocaust, including in camps like Treblinka, survivor's guilt is exacerbated by the societal pressures to discuss resistance and survival rather than the pervasive reality of death and destruction. The fact that survivors like Leonard had to rebuild their lives, often without being able to mourn or discuss their experiences widely, contributed to the ongoing emotional burden they carried.

Answer 2

Leonard most likely suffers from survivor's guilt, which is a common psychological response among Holocaust survivors. Given the mass murder in the Treblinka death camp and the heroic acts of resistance during the Holocaust, his survival might evoke complex feelings of guilt and sorrow.

Step-by-step explanation:

Leonard most likely feels guilt because of what is known as survivor's guilt, a common psychological phenomenon among Holocaust survivors. This guilt stems from having survived the horrifying conditions and mass murder that claimed the lives of millions, including likely many of Leonard's own family members and friends. While he was forced into labor, splitting stones in the Treblinka camp, which was primarily a death camp, the reality is that the vast majority of those who were sent there did not survive. The camps, including Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor, and others, were established with the sole purpose of carrying out the mass murder of Jews and other minority groups that the Nazis deemed 'unsuitable for life'.

The sense of guilt could also be compounded by the recognition of the extensive resistance, such as that in the Warsaw ghetto and by individuals like Irena Sendler and Oskar Schindler, who risked their lives to save others. The fact that Leonard survived, when so many others who actively resisted or were innocent victims did not, could weigh heavily on him, as it did for many survivors trying to build new lives after the war. Encumbered by these heavy emotional tolls, survivors often found it difficult to discuss their experiences, contributing to a broader lack of understanding about the Holocaust's full extent for several decades post-war.