▼ For the French people, memory of the Second World War was, and continues to be, a difficult subject. The Vichy government, led by Phillipe Pétain, is unique in contrast to those of other occupied countries because of its collaborationist aims, and its participation in the deportation of its Jewish citizens. Standing in stark contrast to this are the ideas of Charles de Gaulle, the postwar leader of France, which included glorification of the Resistance movement, denial of Vichy, and a reticence regarding the Holocaust experience. For the thousands of individuals who immigrated to France following their liberation from concentration camps throughout Europe, adjustment was made even more difficult because of this Gaullist mindset. The recovery process was not quick, and it was not limited to a physical return to health; survivors found their emotional return to be the most difficult part of the recovery process. In order to come to terms with their feelings and memories, they needed to speak about them, but frequently, however, their French peers discouraged them from doing so. This thesis explores the different ways that survivors adjusted to life in post-Vichy France, bearing with them their concentration camp memories. By closely analyzing the works of three individuals, Robert Antelme, Elie Wiesel, and Charlotte Delbo, this paper discusses the ways in which survivors dealt with the memory of their experiences in the months and years following their return. Using writing as a form of communication, they conveyed their stories in order to come to terms with their experiences, and to illustrate the role the Holocaust came play in the remainder of their lives. By reading their works, people who were not imprisoned can gain an understanding of life during and after the Holocaust, and can come to see the parallels in their own traumas and recoveries as part of the universality of human experience. Advisors/Committee Members: Creech, James.