Meaning Read online

  Meaning

  A play based on the life of

  Viktor E. Frankl

  Rubin Battino, M.S.

  Mental Health Counseling

  Adjunct Professor,

  Department of Human Services (counseling)

  Wright State University, Ohio, USA

  Dedication

  To Viktor E. Frankl and his wife Elly, for just being who they are and for what they’ve given humanity.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Foreword

  Preface

  Production Notes

  Act I

  Scene 1 About Man’s Search for Meaning

  Scene 2 A Selection Process: Camp to Camp

  Scene 3 Premium Coupons

  Scene 4 The First Phase is Shock

  Scene 5 The Bath—Textbooks Tell Lies!

  Scene 6 Suicide

  Scene 7 Apathy—The Second Stage

  Scene 8 Dreams and Food

  Scene 9 Politics and Religion

  Scene 10 My Wife’s Image

  Scene 11 The Inner Life of the Prisoner

  Scene 12 Psychological Factors in the Camps

  Scene 13 Being a Typhus Doctor and Acting Like a Sheep

  Scene 14 The Science Teacher

  Act II

  Scene 15 The Size of Human Suffering

  Scene 16 Art in a Concentration Camp

  Scene 17 Decisions and Escape

  Scene 18 Faith in the Future

  Scene 19 After Liberation

  Scene 20 Dr J.’s Story

  Scene 21 Some Personal Stories

  Scene 22 General Philosophy

  Scene 23 Frau Kotek

  Scene 24 The Science Teacher

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Permission to use and adapt Frankl’s words for this biographical drama from the following sources is gratefully acknowledged:

  Frankl, V.E., The Doctor and the Soul. From Psychotherapy to Logotherapy (New York: Vintage Books (Random House), 1955/1986).

  Frankl, V.E., Man’s Search for Meaning (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1959/1984).

  Frankl, V.E., Psychotherapy and Existentialism (New York: Washington Square Press (Pocket Books), 1967).

  Frankl, V.E., The Will to Meaning. Foundations and Applications of Logotherapy (New York: A Meridian Book (Plume) 1969/1988).

  Frankl, V.E., The Unheard Cry for Meaning (New York: A Touchstone Book (Simon and Schuster, 1978).

  Frankl, V.E., Viktor Frankl. Recollections. An Autobiography (Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing, 2000).

  We gratefully acknowledge the following sources for the photographs reproduced in this book.

  Bartoszewski, W. (1968). Warsaw Death Ring. 1939–1944. Drukarnia Zwiazkowa w Krakowie, Poland.

  Frankl, V.E. (2000). Viktor Frankl. Recollections. An Autobiography. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing.

  Zelizer, B. (2000). Visual Culture and The Holocaust. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

  Klingberg, H. (2001). When Life Calls Out to Us. The Love and Lifework of Viktor and Elly Frankl. New York: Doubleday.

  Fischel, J.R. (1998). The Holocaust. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

  Hartmann, E. (1995). In the Camps. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

  Poznanski, S. (1963). Struggle, Death, Memory. 1939–1945.Warsaw, Poland: P.P. Wydawnictwa Artystyczne I Filmowe (Artistic and Film Publications, State Enterprise).

  Viktor Frankl Institute, Langwiesgasse 6, A-1140, Vienna, Austria.

  Foreword

  Albert Camus wrote in The First Man, “There are people who vindicate the world, who help others just by their presence.”

  For those of us who have encountered these precious souls who seem to “vindicate the world,” it may be difficult to describe the qualities that make them different from others, but we know when we have been touched by them. Their mere presence seems to charge the moment, giving sudden depth and clarity to simply being alive. Often, these people have suffered greatly; they are the wounded healers who have taken their own suffering and made it a resource from which to draw the strength and empathy to help others.

  Viktor Frankl was a man whose presence vindicated the world. I was privileged to know him and his family. I was among the multitudes who admired him, learned from him, and loved him unabashedly. I am a better man for having known him.

  As a psychologist, I try to define the driving passion of such prodigious souls. What is it that allows a human being to bear, and even to transcend, seemingly unbearable burdens—to thrive where another might wither? For Frankl, the answer was in a simple little word that contains the world: meaning. He was the high priest of meaning, and it was a sacred word to him, without which there could be no true motivation.

  Viktor E. Frankl, M.D., Ph.D., was born in Vienna, Austria, on March 26, 1905, and he died there on September 2, 1997. He was Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Vienna. A guest professor at several universities in the United States, he held 29 honorary doctorates from universities throughout the world. During World War II, he spent three years at Auschwitz, Dachau, and other concentration camps. Frankl’s 32 books appear in 26 languages. According to a Library of Congress poll, his Man’s Search for Meaning is one of the ten most influential books among readers in the United States.

  Frankl was the founder of Logotherapy, the third Viennese school of psychiatry, Freudian and Adlerian being the other two. Logotherapy maintains that there are three main avenues to creating meaning in life: the first is through deeds and working; the second is through relationships (loving and experiences); and the third is through facing a difficult fate and then building upon that challenge in order to help others.

  Meaning: A Play Based on the Life of Viktor Frankl brings Frankl to life in full dimension—his spirit, determination, wisdom, and integrity. Battino has chosen to set the play for the most part during the Holocaust, bringing into sharp focus the extraordinary power of this man to extract from the bleakest of circumstances a reason to live. After all, in contradiction, there is inherent drama. And, while this is a play written in homage to Viktor Frankl, it is, more than that, a play about love and meaning, no matter that reality seems to be calling for something quite different. In these pages, we are reminded of what it is to live profoundly, as we have the opportunity to be in Frankl’s presence once again.

  Jeffrey K. Zeig, Ph.D.

  Director of The Milton H. Erickson Foundation,

  President of Zeig, Tucker & Theisen, Inc., Publishers.

  Preface

  I have visited Vienna many times. On one of those occasions, perhaps fifteen or more years ago, I had occasion to call Dr Frankl to ask if I could see him. He invited me to a lecture he was giving to some visiting Americans. Afterwards, we chatted briefly. He was as I expected: charming, witty, erudite, and full of an irrepressible passion for life. He exuded energy, vitality, and compassion. I had read many of his books, listened repeatedly to audiotapes, and watched him on videotapes. At another time in an audience of more than five thousand therapists in Anaheim when he received a standing ovation before he talked.

  At some point I conceived of the idea of writing a play about Frankl and his life. (As a hobby, I participate in community theater and have written more than one dozen plays.) On a trip to Vienna about six years ago I called and was graciously invited to visit with him and then to join him and his wife Elly for lunch. After some conversation I broached the idea of writing a play. Frankl rightly surmised that I was requesting his permission for this project, maybe even his blessing! The idea of a “blessing” may appear to be unusual, but there is in Jewish tradition the idea of the Lamed-Vov, 36 unknown saintly men who are alive
at any given time. It is on their behalf that God allows the world to continue to exist. To my mind, Frankl was one of this group. In response to my query, he responded quite appropriately that I was, of course, free to write whatever I wished—I did not need his approval or permission. We had a lovely lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant. Although Frankl’s family have seen this play, that is all.

  Before I began to write, I had the challenge of how to organize in dramatic form a presentation of this man’s life. Reading his autobiography (1997, and see other references below) and his most famous book, Man’s Search for Meaning (1984), told me that the most dramatic parts of his life were the war years spent in Nazi concentration camps. The rest of his long and productive life seemed to be an elaboration of the themes discovered in his youth, which were expanded and consolidated during the concentration camp years. The play would have few characters. In explaining the project to my niece Katharine Solomon and my wife, I hit upon the idea of writing the play in a Brechtian style with many scenes illustrated by projected photographs on a bare stage, and with title boards indicating the nature of each scene. So, there are 24 scenes, mostly set in the concentration camps. (For a complete and authorized biography of the Frankls, see Klingberg (2001). Zeig, Tucker & Co., Inc. (3618 North 24th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016. 877-850-0442, [email protected]), are the official source for all of Frankl’s audio and video tapes.)

  But, what do you do for dialogue? I chose to use Frankl’s writings, mostly from Man’s Search for Meaning, to be as authentic to his speech as was possible. Frankl needed a foil, and this developed into Frankl’s Colleague, a person who has many roles—colleague, interviewer, reporter, biographer, alter ego, conscience. Much of the Colleague’s dialogue is also from Frankl’s writings. As a playwright, I had to take some liberties to make the dialogue smooth, dramatic, and with appropriate transitions and connections. Yet the words in this play are mostly Frankl’s.

  Frankl died peacefully on September 2, 1997.

  The play was improved by comments made by the members of our monthly play-reading group. Thus, I owe thanks to: Donna and Al Denman, Barbara and Dave Case, Helen and David Westneat, Mary and Len Cargan, Molly and Keith Gunderkline, Martha Kline, and my wife Charlotte.

  The support of my editor at Crown House Publishing, Bridget Shine, was unwavering. She finally convinced the editorial board that a biographical play would be appropriate for them to add to their list. The board did not know what to do with a play, but a biography in play form was acceptable!

  Thank you, Bridget.

  References

  Frankl, V.E., Man’s Search for Meaning (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1959/1984).

  Frankl, V.E., Viktor Frankl. Recollections. An Autobiography (Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing, 2000).

  Klingberg, H., When Life Calls Out to Us. The Love and Lifework of Viktor and Elly Frankl (New York: Doubleday, 2001).

  Rubin Battino

  Yellow Springs, Ohio

  December 2001

  Production Notes

  Characters

  Professor Viktor E. Frankl (Frankl)

  Frankl’s Colleague (Colleague)

  Capo

  Man

  Inmate

  Foreman

  Guard

  Woman

  Science Teacher

  Frau Kotek

  Frankl’s Father

  Old Doctor

  Time

  Mostly during World War II in the concentration camps.

  List of scenes

  Act I

  Scene 1: About Man’s Search for Meaning

  Scene 2: A Selection Process: Camp to Camp

  Scene 3: Premium Coupons

  Scene 4: The First Phase is Shock

  Scene 5: The Bath—Textbooks Tell Lies!

  Scene 6: Suicide

  Scene 7: Apathy—The Second Stage

  Scene 8: Dreams and Food

  Scene 9: Politics and Religion

  Scene 10: My Wife’s Image

  Scene 11: The Inner Life of the Prisoner

  Scene 12: Psychological Factors in the Camps

  Scene 13: Being a Typhus Doctor and Acting Like a Sheep

  Scene 14: The Science Teacher

  Intermission

  Act II

  Scene 15: The Size of Human Suffering

  Scene 16: Art in a Concentration Camp

  Scene 17: Decisions and Escape

  Scene 18: Faith in the Future

  Scene 19: After Liberation

  Scene 20: Dr J.’s Story

  Scene 21: Some Personal Stories

  Scene 22: General Philosophy

  Scene 23: Frau Kotek

  Scene 24: The Science Teacher

  Set and production

  The play is performed on a bare stage. There are high stools for Frankl and Colleague. It is anticipated that the play will be done as a staged reading rather than have the cast memorize lines. The subsidiary characters sit on chairs arranged at stage right and stage left, and do several roles. Upstage center is a large screen on which appropriate slides are projected. The directions for each scene indicate the slides to be used. Some scenes use several slides. In the book version, photos are included in each scene. There is a smaller screen set at an angle, easily seen by the audience, and above the actors on stage right. On to this screen is projected the title of each scene and other relevant information like dates and settings. This information is indicated under “Title Board” at the beginning of each scene. The Title Board also indicates the characters in each scene. There are specific stage directions under “Stage Directions” at the beginning of each scene. There are 24 scenes in the play. If an intermission is needed, it can be after Scene 14.

  The entire production is somewhat Brechtian in style. The setting is stark. Scene 22 is presented in two parts: since Frankl’s philosophy is densely written and requires careful reading, only the nonitalicized parts of Scene 22 are meant to be performed—the rest is for more studious reading. Almost all of Frankl’s dialogue is taken verbatim from his writings, so that it is really Frankl who is speaking throughout. The author has taken a few liberties for dramatic effect in introducing Frankl’s Colleague and the sequencing of the scenes. Frankl’s Colleague takes on many roles during the course of the play. He is a colleague, an interviewer and reporter, a biographer, and an alter ego—sometimes even Frankl’s conscience. Some of Colleague’s lines are actually taken from Frankl’s writings. In a staged production, Frankl’s voice (from one of his many lectures) is heard at the end of the play.

  Frankl, of course, led a long and productive life following his liberation from the concentration camps. The author makes no excuse for focusing the play on those events and times that were the crucible for Frankl’s enormous contributions to mankind. There are even some who say that Frankl was one of the Lamed-Vov of Jewish legend. This legend states that at any given time there are 36 hidden saints known as the Just Men. The mission of these Just Men was to roam the earth caring about human suffering, knowing they could do nothing to relieve it. Jewish tradition holds that, as long as this caring goes on, God would allow the world of ordinary people to continue to exist. Frankl was more than a Lamed-Vov since his life and contributions did much to alleviate suffering.

  Act I

  Scene 1

  About Man’s Search

  for Meaning

  Title Board: ABOUT MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING

  In a lecture hall

  Frankl; Frankl’s Colleague

  Visual: Frankl lecturing.

  Stage Directions: There is a lectern for a lecture. Frankl is behind the lectern and Colleague is stage right commenting.

  FRANKL: My book Man’s Search for Meaning does not claim to be an account of facts and events but of personal experiences, experiences which millions of prisoners here suffered time and again. It is the inside story of a concentration camp, told by one of its survivors. This tale is not concerned with the great horrors, which have already been described
often enough (though less often believed), but with the multitude of small torments. In other words, it will try to answer this question: How was everyday life in a concentration camp reflected in the mind of the average prisoner?

  FRANKL’S COLLEAGUE (COLLEAGUE): And you presume to speak for them all, to describe their experiences? You survived, yes. Speak about your thoughts, your survival. Do you think another description will answer that question?

  FRANKL: Yes. We were separate, we were individual, we made choices; yet, we were so controlled and confined that at times we were just one mind, one body.

  COLLEAGUE: So tell your tale. On your head be it.

  FRANKL: Most of the events described in the book did not take place in the large and famous camps, but in the small ones where most of the real extermination took place. This story is not about the suffering and death of great heroes and martyrs, nor is it about the prominent Capos—prisoners who acted as trustees, having special privileges—or well-known prisoners. It is not so much concerned with the suffering of the mighty, but with the sacrifices, the crucifixion and the deaths of the great army of unknown and unrecorded victims.

  COLLEAGUE: You’re reading minds again.

  FRANKL: Not so, we were one. Yes, it was these common prisoners, who bore no distinguishing marks on their sleeves, whom the Capos really despised. You see, while these ordinary prisoners had little or nothing to eat, the Capos never went hungry. In fact, many of the Capos lived better in the camp than they had in their lives.

  COLLEAGUE: Another paradox.

  FRANKL: Often these men were harder on the prisoners than were the guards, and beat them more cruelly than the SS men did.

  COLLEAGUE: And will you tell their story, too?

  FRANKL: Perhaps that will come out. These Capos, of course, were chosen only from those prisoners whose characters promised to make them suitable for such procedures. If they did not comply with what was expected of them, they were immediately demoted.