Tattooed Number
The tattooed number printed on each prisoner’s arm represents the replacement of their old identity as an individual with their new identity as Häftling, ultimately dehumanizing them. Every aspect of the camp is designed…
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Bread
As the only possession technically allowed to the prisoners, bread represents a prisoner’s wealth, value, and wellbeing. In the illicit exchange market, bread functions as the base unit of value, measured in single rations. Thus…
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Shoes
Shoes function as a minor symbol of one’s status in the camp’s social hierarchy. Jewish prisoners are only allowed wooden shoes, which are painful and cause dangerous sores that can lead to lethal infections. This…
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