The Periodic Table

Argon
Written this way (names, lots of descriptions, etc.) because he
wants to show what this place was like because its gone now
o Existed in 1940 but will never exist in 1945 or post this
P. 3 There are so-called inert gaseshave gone undetected for
centuries.
o Jewish people in Italy (Jews didnt mix, etc.)
Theme 1: How minorities protect themselves
P. 4 But there is no doubt that they were inertmargins of the
great river of life.
o Chose to stay apart (way of dealing with hurt of being
pushed to the margins)
P.5 I remember here, in passing, that the vilification of
imprisoned in the Lager.
o Reminder that makes the rest of the chapter more powerful
P.5 As is always the case, the rejection was mutualsituation of
the chosen people.
P.5 Tobacco smelling patriarchs The people of Israel.
P. 8 Even a hasty examination points to its dissimulative and
underground functionwhich they (the goyim) had established.
Theme 2: How we get our identities through family
stories
Grandfather who farts (use the religious word wind) told to make
a sound with his cane
P. 17 He did not say anything to the girlHe stayed there for
twenty-two years.
P. 20 When we got to the good living roomI would quickly hide
it away in my pocket.
Theme 3: The way we develop our concepts of who we are
based on the stories we are told
Hydrogen
Theme: the joy of discovery/passion for knowledge (passion vs.
pragmatism) (passion for learning) (joy and danger that comes
with learninghubris: overconfidence, arrogance, pride)
Hydrogen is the building block of the universe like this
experiment is the building block of his career/love for science
Hydrogen is a symbol for everything there is to know about the
world
P. 23 We had no doubts we would beLike Moses, from that
cloud I expectedand in the world.
P. 23 Would all the philosophersunderstand it.

o Chemists are greater than everyone because they can

understand the universe
P. 23 We would be chemistsProteus by the throat.
o Proteus allusion to the Odysseylike Hydrogen, the root of
everything
Help us understand the importance of
hydrogen/importance of learning
P. 27 I was a theoretician, only I.
P. 28 It was indeed hydrogenare formed in eternal silence.
o In a state of amazementwhy chemistry is so
spectacularwant to understand the workings of the world
Fritz HaberHaber process used to gas Jews in holocaust (and
hes a Jew)
o Dangers and thrills of science
Synthetic genomics
Apollo 1
Frackingsolutions into oil to remove limestone (get rid of
chemicals with waterchemicals left behind and pollute ground
water)
Knowledge is power but it also comes with burdens
o Temper: flood
Apple from eve (knowledge/sin)
Google
o More knowledge than imaginabledanger: know
something when you dont really
Anecdote (make it a legit story):
o Marcels story
o Zohars story

Zinc
Theme: Although purity provides stability, impurity is necessary
for change to occur
Zinc symbolizes impurity (pure zinc with sulfuric nothing
happened, but when added copper sulfate reaction occurred
because impurity was present)
o Zinc is an essential element for animal cells to survive
(Zinc = impurity and zinc = essential therefore impurity =
essential)
Zinc forms alloys (Levi and girl formed union)
Professor P = skeptical old mansober rigor of classes
prescribed fascist shirt. P. 29
o Influence on Levis critical thinking
Zinc behaves in a different fashion when purethe praise of
impurity which gives rise to changes p. 33

Iron

o Impurity needed for life

P. 34 The grain of salt and mustard are neededeveryone is the
same but you are not.
o To Levi purity and uniformity = no change
P. 35 I am the impurity that makes zinc reactbegun to be
proud of being impure.
o Embraced his impurity (being Jewish)
P. 36 Rita was different than mea degree, a job, and regular
pay.
o Very different from Levi (Rita = pure and Levi = impure)
P. 35 Metaphor I was being presented with an opportunity
there was a bridgecome on now take the first step.
o Small bridge = weak, zinc = brittle
Are we ready for the rise of social robots?
People are afraid of impurities (they change everything)
New title: Darwinnaturalist introduced natural selection
(changed the world even though seen as an impurity originally)
Theme 2: p. 31 (loves the professor because of the challenge of
doing well) Initiation rule (The Theme of initiation rituals)
o Step into adulthood
o Theory is useless p. 31
o P.33 As when you reach 13the spirits greatest agony.
o Going out with Rita is the impurity thing and the initiation
Italy in 1930s: Mussolini was a racist but wasnt extremely
important to him (not like Hitler)
o Hitler pressured Mussolini to create more anti-Semitic rules
Theme 1: p. 48 This was itI regret that I ate so little of it
free to be the master of ones destiny.
o Bear meat = essential symbol (good because you won the
fight with the bearhard won symbol)
Hardens youmakes you more confident (becomes
very importantmakes difference of survival and
non-survival at concentration camp)
Theme 2: Sandro brings Levi to the lived experiences as
opposed to intellectualized experiences
o Vocal class
o P. 37 Night lay herebut the night did not penetrate the
thick wallsa white limbo. (Italy sleeping through horrors
because theyre in a permanent waiting room)
o P. 38 Not herehostile mother was tougherwhich
fascism had not prepared ussmellclean.
o P. 39 Urstoffancient origin.

o Iron is hard iron is strong (what you have to become to

survive)
o P. 40 I too was becoming a lonerI could feel the
withdraw
o P. 40 It was not at all a friendship bornmutually
unknown regions.
Fab analogy (best friends ships are the ones when
bring unique perspectives)
o P. 41 the nobility of matterI had enrolled in chemistry
because
o P. 42 the face of fascist truthan ignominybelieve
without thinkinghow could he ignore the fact that
chemistry and physics were the antidote of fascism
newspapers.
Fascism is the opposite of science
o P. 42 the ice of the nearby mountains.
o P. 43 Sandro seemed to be made of iron
o P. 45 He felt the need to prepare himselfdrawing closer
month by monthforget nightmares weighing on Europe
Preparing for the war about to come
o P. 48 the first man to be killed fighting in the resistance
was Sandro.
Potassium
See notes from my presentation
P. 52 The sky above us was silent and emptywe were alone
as strengths to resist.
o World war two is onJews are being rounded up (Italians
living in fools paradise)
Taking the smaller sufferings not as seriously as they
should
They just kept their heads down
Minor theme: He allowed the polish ghettos
o He = god (not capitalized)they feel abandoned by god
o P. 52 The heart of matterbut having reached the fourth
yearchemistry itself didnt answer my questions.
o P. 52/53 The truth revealed by fascist doctrinehe had to
go back to the originsthe origins of chemistry are
ignoble.
o P. 54 Follow me.
Jesus says this
o P. 54 The day of judgment
For him the day of judgment will be when physics
solves problems

o P. 56 Physics was proseelegant gymnastics for the

minddid I want to follow him.
But then potassium blows upEurope is blowing up
(hiding from it with purity of physics isnt good
enough)
o P. 60 Better his astrophysicsone must distrust the
almost-the-sameall surrogatethe chemists trade
knowing them close up
Chemistry is crucial (essential to understanding the
differences
Railroad switchallusion to Auschwitz (the line
you go into)
o Determination to stay in applied sciences
so he can face battle
Nickel
See book
P. 69 Primo Levisumma cum laude
o Graduates first in university (insult at same time because
declares religion)
Horrible time periodfriends turned against him,
unable to work, father is dying, cant continue further
studies
Man offers job in mine (man hates fascism)
o This chapter = very important for the
next two chapters
We distract ourselves to avoid problems
o Asked to achieve a task thats unachievable so he doesnt
have to think about the bad
o Futile work because impossible and if he managed to find
nickel it would be used by Nazis
Sex and gossip is how the other Italians forget about
the war
o P. 63 It was ironicintelligent and honest enoughtoo
youngprecocious maturity.
He cant be with themgets pleasure through work
(has to grow up before the Christians of his
generation)
o P. 73 it gave birth in mea freedom I would perhaps soon
lose.
Writes story while at the mine
Island of freedom for him

o P. 73 from theIslands of freedomone story fantasized

the other ambiguousI happened to see during that
period.
o P. 75 We must never feel disarmedit is not
impermeablesound like war plans
To be unarmed is to allow people who are armed to
make the decisions (need to use intelligence to
combat horrors of the world)
o P. 77 I was not thinking that ifthe nickel would have
ended upartillery shells.
Choosing to be thoughtless because doesnt want to
think of horrors
o P. 78 Tales of militant chemistry.
Stories become stories of escape so doesnt have to
deal with the horrors of the world