Literary Analysis Essay on Man's Search for Meaning

Introduction

Man's Search for Meaning is a reflective yet straightforward and intense book written by Victor Frankl. Victor was a Holocaust survivor and neurologist-psychiatrist in Australia. Frankl is the Logotherapy's founder awarded with various accolades, his talks and books are inspiring on finding the meaning in suffering and life. Man's Search for Meaning stands out extraordinarily as the writer narrates his life instances through presenting a remarkable idea of how people can choose to see meaning in any situation even when the conditions are at their worst. His descriptive illustrations in this book about his observations and experiences on human changes infuse great hope towards the reader.

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The book is a two-part account where the first part discusses Frankl's experience based on concentration camps, and the second part discusses universal lessons that are derived from Frankl's struggle. The book contains overwhelming, explicit, and honest accounts in the concentration camps about life. This is making it an absolute treasure towards the reader. The writer's description of spiritual, emotional, and social dynamics based on his experiences and that of prisoners is beautiful and humbling (McCann 1-6). The writer has incorporated both primary and secondary data that is rich. The ideas are put forward in three sections by Frankl. The qualitative methodology used in this particular book has fused the writer's thoughts in three parts. Man's Search for Meaning is a collaboration of stories and Frankl's personal experiences that include quotes from psychoanalytic schools and humanistic, references to existential forerunners and excellent figurative examples. The author has fully explained the various pathological terms that are used in the book.

The first section of this particular book describes brutal aspects faced by every prisoner while at the concentration camps. Frankl is displayed as one of the prisoners who suffer brutality for three years. These brutal experiences made him realize naked existence, which made him explain three significant phases that a prisoner passes through in the concentration camps. Frankl also describes how the previous lives of the prisoners were transformed as they went through the three phases and how they developed several pathologies (Frankl 1-154). In the first phase, most of the prisoners were in a state of shock, which made them build empathy, and finally, they felt depersonalized on being liberated, which led them to manifest strong symptoms in different ways. Though Frankl has toned down the brutality language, the issue of suffering is well hard and felt through how he introduces his thoughts on various experiences. Brutality in Nazi concentration camps was certainly the worst suffering that one would have imagined.

There have been various accounts and stories that describe the horrors associated with the Nazi concentration camp. The main focus is based on the reaction and temperament of the inmate. The author keenly observes the state of affairs governs these camps through his own and everyone's admission towards concentration camp. The concentration camp is run with brutality and iron fist that has never been seen in history. Most of these tasks that were used in running the camp were mainly delegated in the selection of the inmates.

The first day at the concentration camp detached the prisoners from their old lives due to the brutal experience they faced. They were all forced to surrender everything they had, including clothes, jewelry, and boots. They would not sneak any possession since this would result in severe torture. The first of the three phases were marked by dismay and shock. The inmates would be shouted at and kicked just like animals, while tiny transgressions experienced brutality as they were being punished (Frankl 1-154). The inmates faced brutal treatments daily, which led them to the last vestiges of their humanity as they were being stripped away. The harsh condition in the camp made the prisoners lose the meaning of life, and the survival chances were minimal.

The second section of Man's Search for Meaning explores the deeper meaning of Logotherapy. The comparison between Logotherapy and other schools mainly focuses on 'will to meaning.' The main focus of all other schools is 'will to pleasure.' To find the conflict within, the uppers layers were uncovered to treat the neurosis. The individuals were only relieved after the root cause of the problem was discovered (Frankl 1-154). The various examples provided in the book provided the author with significant convictions that complemented his account and supported the theory. Every individual is faced with an existential crisis at times in their lives. Man is displayed putting more effort into searching for it since it believed as the ultimate quest for any survival reason. Only a few people managed to get out of the concentration camps alive as per the observations made.

The third section of this book is attractive to the readers where they have a choice of applying the Logotherapy principles on oneself. The triad of pain, death, and guilt is justified, and any intensive further reading becomes necessary to practice therapy. This third section is highly useful to a therapist to make them understand how to deal effectively with anticipatory depression, anxieties, aggression, obsession behaviors through using Logotherapy (Frankl 1-154). Frankl's effort is seen where he explain how meaningless life could be with a pathological aspect but can undoubtedly be pathogenic. This section appears to be exhaustive when comprehending it with given information; therefore, further reading of the Tragic Triad is highly suggested for the practitioner.

This book sparks a solution to most of the people who have despaired in life by justifying the idea of finding the meaning of life. Frankl focuses on a certain age group which highly benefit from reading this particular book by giving explanations on how death should not be seen as the end of the opportunities and possibilities (Frankl 1-154). The author also makes the book attractive by explaining how suffering is not necessary when finding the meaning of life. Meaningfulness can be used in attacking any cause of suffering but if it cannot be avoided meaningfulness play a role on changing how people look at situation hence can unlock the actual meaning that lies dormant in suffering.

Conclusion

Man's Search for Meaning is a book that is worth reading by the psychology students since it consists of informative forewords that remains classic to the readers. The meaning of life is well expressed through three phases of the prisoners in the concentration camp as they face brutal experiences, which make them lose the meaning of life. The inmates faced brutal treatments daily, which led them to the last vestiges of their humanity as they were being stripped away. Frankl being one of the prisoners gives a clear understanding of what happens in the concentration camp. The main theme in this book is survival, which is expressed by Frankl as he has undergone the Nazi rule, which made him understand the human ability to survive and endure against all the odds.

Works Cited

Frankl, Viktor Emil. Man's Search For Meaning. 4th ed., Houghton, Mifflin, 2000, pp. 1-154. https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/3403095/mod_resource/content/1/56ViktorFrankl_Mans%20Search.pdf

K.M. McCann, Ph.D. "Book Review: Man's Search For Meaning | Psych Central Reviews." Psychcentralreviews.Com, 2016, https://psychcentralreviews.com/2016/book-review-mans-search-for-meaning/.