Section 5

In the beginning of the chapter, we learn that the high holy days of rosh hashana and yom kippur are occuring. The prisoners are able to observe these holy days and come together secretly, but Elie does not pray. He does not pray because he sees no reason to pray, because of all the suffering that G-d allowed to occur. He actually mocks G-d in a way, when he talks about how his chosen people are only chosen to be killed. This leads on to Elie eating on yom kippur, the day which jews traditionally are supposed to fast on.

Later, Elie and his father are seperated from each other when his father is said to be too weak to work, and would have to be executed. After knowing this, his father gives Elie the only things he has, his knife and spoon. Later however, a second "selection process" takes place and his father is actually said to be ok to work and survives.

When winter comes, the prisoners begin to suffer from the harsh cold temperature. Elies foot begins to swell up and has to have surgery to fix it. Later, a rumor begins to bring hope to the prisoners. The rumor says that the Russian army is approaching to help the prisoners. Knowing this rumor, the Nazis decide to evacuate the camp and kill teh prisoners that choose to stay. Elie and his father decide to leave for the evacuation. Elie later realizes that he made the wrong decision in leaving the camp, because the prisoners were later freed by the russian army.

This chapter proves to be a true test of faith for Elie and the other jewish prisoners. Elie loses his faith in G-d and sees it that if G-d existed, he would never let something this bad happen to his "chosen people". I understand where he is coming from on his decision to lose faith in G-d, because if i was in his situation, i too would have probably lost faith in G-d for the same reason he did.