After running for so long in the cold and heavy snow, they finally reached to Buchenwald. Eliezer's father was finally giving up, he couldn't take it anymore because he was too weak and tired. Seeing his dad like that made him angry, he used every strength in him to let his father know that he couldn't give up now, but after a while he realized that he was only arguing with death that his father had already chosen.
Just sitting there watching his father dye bit by bit, he knew he didn't want to let him go, not now, after all that they had went through together.
I was surprised that Eliezer said that he felt relieved, not pained, when he saw that his father was dead. Throughout the book, Eliezer was very close with his father and they both had a strong relationship. Even being put in the concentration camps, Eliezer never abandoned his father and always made sure that he and his father were not separated from each other. But as time went by, you can see that Eliezer dreaded feeling concerned about his father. He only wanted to be concerned about his survival, and no one else's. I was still surprised that he was relieved that his father was dead. I mean, no one should feel relieved to see their close family member die, no matter what.
ReplyDeleteMonica, you are right. I thought the same thing! - At first. After thinking about it, I realized how Eliezer no longer had to care for his father, and it wasn't his fault. Like, if he were to abandon his father, he would feel terrible and guilty, but because it was a disease that killed his father, Eliezer was unable to feel guilty or responsible, which is probably why he was relieved.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way, i understand why Eliezer felt a little relieved because his father does not have to suffer anymore. He died because of a disease and not because of the war. I understand what was going through Eliezers head, this was a very power full scene.
ReplyDeleteThat surprised me too! I was shocked that he didn't cry about his father! Although he DID know it was coming... And I guess that at that point he felt so defeated that it almost didn't matter what was done to him because EVERYTHING was taken from him. :(
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