Man’s Search for Meaning Book Review There have been several books written by those who suffered in concentration camps during World War II; however, Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is the both a fascinating and hopeful book from this period. This book is comprised of two primary parts. Part one is “Experiences in a Concentration Camp,” and part two is titled “Logotherapy in a Nutshell”. There is also a postscript entitled “The Case for a Tragic Optimism”. Throughout the book, Frankl gives the readers a new perspective about to how to view life and reiterates the statement that life is utterly what you decide to make of it. Frankl clearly states that he did not want to solely focus on the negative aspects from his stay in four different Concentration Camps including Auschwitz and Dachau but rather his own personal experience of survival. Immediately upon entering Auschwitz in 1942, he had to part ways with his prized almost completed scientific manuscript, which meant a great deal to him. Man’s Search for Meaning teaches the reader that it is possible to be positive in the most dire of situations. There are several factors in the book that Frankl discusses that helped him survive in the camps. He noted that there are three phases of the inmate’s mental reactions to life in camp: the admission period, the period when he is deep into the camp routine, and that after his release and liberation. His camp experience seemed nothing shy of a nightmare. Liberation was hard to accept because Dr. Frankl was not prepared for its unhappiness and disillusionment. Despite his religion being the reason as to why he was in the concentration camps, he never once doubted it and still used religion even while in camp. He viewed religion as a sense of hope for the future.
Frankl constantly discusses the importance of love in order to survive through anything. In fact, the reason to why Dr. Frankl was even sent to the camps was due to his love for his aging parents. He had a way to get to America early on; however, he chose to remain with his beloved parents and expectant wife throughout it all. During his four years of imprisonment, he spoke so highly of his beloved wife, not knowing that in fact she had already died along with his father, mother, and brother.
“I only knew one thing—which I have learned well by now: Love goes very far beyond the physical person of the beloved. It finds its deepest meaning in his spiritual being, his inner self.” (Frankl, 2006, p. 50)

When he would think of his wife, he would believe that he could almost feel her near him. These mental images of his wife kept him going on even the worse of days that he had. Frankl believed that art and nature helped the prisoner’s spirits throughout their time imprisoned, too. Specifically, he explains how sometimes some men would skip one of their rations in order to view a sunset or a sunrise. Viewing this would move some men so much to even provoke tears of joy for its beauty. Poetry and songs would aid in lightening the load and uplifting the men’s souls temporarily.
Frankl believed that through all situations one always had a choice of what action they would take. Even when he thought that all situations in his life were out of his hands he believed that he was still able to choose some course of action and that he was still free spiritually, which no one could take away from him. Dr. Frankl’s greatest gift was that of encouragement to others and knowing how to ask the right questions to help people. He looked and found human kindness in all groups of people. He believed that his time in camp was an opportunity for growing spiritually instead of seeing his life as “meaningless.” Frankl saw that there was one main choice to make in the camp: either to turn one’s life into a personal victory or to simply vegetate—which is what most of the prisoners decided to do.
“Thus it is impossible to define the meaning of life in a general way… “Life” does not mean something vague, but something very real and concrete, just as life’s tasks are also very real and concrete, just as life’s tasks are also very real and concrete. They form man’s destiny, which is different and unique for each individual. No man and no destiny can be compared with any other man or any other destiny. No situation repeats itself, and each situation calls for a different response.” (Frankl, 2006, p. 87)

He discovered that it did not matter what individuals expected from their own life, but it was what life expected from them. People have to discover the guiding truth in their situations, which can involve even the worse of suffering. During his imprisonment, he worked first in the labor fields and then later in the sick ward is a physician and viewed that before people died they had given up. Once these people loss their sense of hope, they lost their primary reason for existence. Frankl was a good man and a dedicated doctor throughout his entire course. He learned to answer all questions truthfully and not to elaborate on anything. Because of his good attitude, he always tried to make the best of every circumstance. Dr. Frankl was involved in an escape plan; however, he could not go through with it because of his love for his patients that he had and feared what would happen to him if he were to leave. The second section, “Logotherapy in a Nutshell” explains his creation of logotherapy. Logotherapy is a form of therapy that tries to take a person out of him or herself and see their life in a broader view. Logotherapy sees the prime motivating force in human beings to be a will to meaning. Frankl chose not to see life simply as the satisfaction of drives or instincts or even in becoming well adjusted to society. Instead he believed that the prime feature of human beings is their free will. Logotherapy views mental health as the force concerning what one is and what one could become. Frankl believed there are three main sources of meaning, which are: creating a work or doing a deed, experiencing something or encountering someone (love), and having the attitude we take to unavoidable suffering. “Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete.” (Frankl, 2006, p. 67). Frankl believed that each moment one lived was precious and that we are responsible for ourselves through means of our attitude. The last section is the postscript, “The Case for a Tragic Optimism,” that gives a short recount of many of the topics he already had discussed. In this section, he conveys that all great things in the world are both difficult and rare to discover. This section tells of logotherapy’s “tragic triad,” which are pain, guilt, and death.
Man’s Search for Meaning has a central theme evident throughout the entire book. No matter what the circumstance is there is always a meaning to your life. Also, one has to decide what they want to do in life and make the most of it. Attitude is everything in life, just like love. The book teaches its readers that one has to have love to make it through any and every situation. Frankl found meaning in his worse time through means of love, religion, and sadly even suffering. His ability to live through the camp shows that no matter what your situation is there is always hope and a meaning to your life; you can never give up.
Upon reading Man’s Search for Meaning, it made me start to think about my own life in a very different perspective. Reading Frankl’s tragic accounts made me realize that despite how at times I feel overwhelmed or despaired I can persevere through my challenges. Anything that I am going through is nothing compared to what this man went through, and he did it all with a good attitude even. I believe that this is a great self-help book because it shows various ways to cope with what you’re going through—whether it is through faith, fate, friends, love, poetry, or any number of things.
When I read this book, I thought a lot about when I personally toured Dachau Concentration Camp this past summer. The whole time I was there I did not understand how one could survive being there for any length of time all while being treated like a caged and beaten animal. So, reading Frankl’s book made me truly admire this man’s will to live. I cannot believe how positive he was throughout his four years in the brutal camps. It made me wonder if I could have found a meaning to my own life if I had I have been in his situation.
Before reading this book, I had never heard of the term logotherapy. I enjoyed reading about his logotherapy studies. I feel that Frankl actually practiced what he preached in terms of logotherapy. Even though Dr. Frankl lived in such horrid conditions in the concentration camps, it was his own decision to maintain a positive attitude and have something to believe in; this helped him live to be man into his 90s. I think logotherapy should be practiced more in today’s society because it teaches that life is too precious to waste and attitude is the basis of everything.
I really enjoyed reading Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. I definitely feel that I learned a great deal from reading it. I have often wondered what the true meaning is in my own life, and after reading this book it has helped me see what life’s purpose is. Life is something that I just have to welcome daily, never fail not to appreciate, and always make the most out of any situation because no situation is every going to come exactly again.