In this chapter, Elie seems to look at his situation in an every man for himself way. He starts to think that he should worry more about his own health and not so much on his fathers.
The journey to Buchenwald fatally weakens Eliezer's father. He seems at last to have given up living and started to not care about life. Eliezer tries to convince him to move, but he refuses to.
Later, an air raid alert forces all of the prisoners back into the barracks. Eliezer leaves his father during this alert and then falls into a deep sleep. In the morning, he begins to search for his father, but halfheartedly, because part of him thinks that abandoning his father and conserving his strength will help him in the long run. However, he ends up later running into his father, who is getting worse in his health and strength.
When the U.S army approaches the camp, the Nazis decide to evacuate and kill all of the prisoners before the troops arrive. This process is delayed however when another air raid alarm takes place and the prisoners are forced into the barracks. Luckily, Elie survives it all and is rescued by the U.S army. When he gets out, he ends up getting food poisoning and has to stay in the hospital for a while. While in the hospital, he looks at himself in the mirror for the first time since the Holocaust and is horrified by what he sees.
No comments:
Post a Comment