Eli remains at Buchenwald until April 11. He has nothing to say of these last months in the concentration camps because after his father's death, he became indifferent and emotionless, concerned only with eating. He is transferred to the children's block.
On April 5, the SS guard is late to roll call, and everyone knows something must have happened. After two hours, an announcement goes out that all Jews must go to the assembly place. They to go to, but prisoners tell them to go back to their blocks warning them that the Germans are going to shoot everyone. On the way back, they learn that "the camp resistance organization had decided not to abandon the Jews and was going to prevent their being liquidated." The next day there is a roll call and the head of Buchenwald announces that the camp is to be liquidated. Ten blocks of deportees would be evacuated each day, and no more food would be distributed.
On April 10, the remaining 20,000 prisoners are to be evacuated and the camp blown up. A siren alert occurs and the evacuation is postponed to the next day. Nobody had eaten anything for six days. The next morning the resistance movement suddenly battles the SS in the assembly place. The SS flees, and resistance takes charge of the camp. At six in the evening, the first American tank arrives at Buchenwald.
The first thing the newly-freed prisoners thought of was food. Then, they thought of clothes and sex. Nobody thought of revenge. Three days after Buchenwald was liberated, Eli became deathly ill with food poisoning and spent two weeks in the hospital. After he got a little bit better, he gathered enough strength to look at himself in the mirror. He had not seen his reflection since living in the ghetto. When he looks at himself, he sees the eyes of a corpse, and that image has never left him.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Night: Section 8
At the camp the prisoners are counted as usual and told to go to the showers. However, they are so weak that it is difficult for the guards to get them to move. Eli's father goes over to a pile of snow with his son and tells him that he can no longer go on. Eli is enraged that his father is ready to die after having survived for so long and he argues with him for a long time not to stay in the snow. When the sirens go off, Eli is driven to the blocks and everyone immediately falls asleep in the beds. Not even realizing the soup couldron.
In the morning Eli remembers that he has to look for his father. Part of him wants to forget about his weak, burdensome father and he feels ashamed at these thoughts. Eli looks for his father for hours and finally finds him in the coffee line. Eli brings him a cup of coffee. Later on, Eli's father tells him that the guards are refusing to feed the sick because they think they will die soon anyway. Eliezer unwillingly gives him the rest of his soup and realizes that he is no better than that rabbi's son. On the third day of their arrival everyone has to go to the showers. Eli sees his father in the distance, but when he goes to meet him the man runs by him. The man was actually somebody else.
Eli's father is becoming increasingly weak in his bunk. He tells Eli where he buried the gold and money. Eli manages to bring his father to see a doctor, but the doctor refuses to look at him. Another doctor comes into the block, but Eliezer's father refuses to get up again. When Eli returns from getting bread his father tells him that his bunkmates have been hitting him. Eli promises them extra bread and soup, but they simply laugh at him. The next day his father tells Eli that his neighbors stole his bread and hit him again. He begs piteously for water and he gives him some.
The head of the block gives Eli advice regarding his father. He tells him that in the concentration camps, it is every man for himself and that ties of family and friendship no longer count. He advises him not to give his food rations to his father and to instead his father's for himself. For a moment Eliezer agrees with him, but then immediately feels guilty. Eli's father begs repeatedly for water one night, and the SS guards shout at him to be quiet. When he keeps calling out to Eliezer, the guard hits him violently on the head with his truncheon. Eliezer is afraid to move from his bunk. His father once again says, "Eliezer," and is still breathing. After roll call he looks at his father's face for over an hour. When it is time to go to bed, his father is still alive. The next day, January 29, 1945, his father has been replaced by another invalid and taken to the crematory. Eliezer does not weep and admits that deep down inside himself he feels freed by his father's death
In the morning Eli remembers that he has to look for his father. Part of him wants to forget about his weak, burdensome father and he feels ashamed at these thoughts. Eli looks for his father for hours and finally finds him in the coffee line. Eli brings him a cup of coffee. Later on, Eli's father tells him that the guards are refusing to feed the sick because they think they will die soon anyway. Eliezer unwillingly gives him the rest of his soup and realizes that he is no better than that rabbi's son. On the third day of their arrival everyone has to go to the showers. Eli sees his father in the distance, but when he goes to meet him the man runs by him. The man was actually somebody else.
Eli's father is becoming increasingly weak in his bunk. He tells Eli where he buried the gold and money. Eli manages to bring his father to see a doctor, but the doctor refuses to look at him. Another doctor comes into the block, but Eliezer's father refuses to get up again. When Eli returns from getting bread his father tells him that his bunkmates have been hitting him. Eli promises them extra bread and soup, but they simply laugh at him. The next day his father tells Eli that his neighbors stole his bread and hit him again. He begs piteously for water and he gives him some.
The head of the block gives Eli advice regarding his father. He tells him that in the concentration camps, it is every man for himself and that ties of family and friendship no longer count. He advises him not to give his food rations to his father and to instead his father's for himself. For a moment Eliezer agrees with him, but then immediately feels guilty. Eli's father begs repeatedly for water one night, and the SS guards shout at him to be quiet. When he keeps calling out to Eliezer, the guard hits him violently on the head with his truncheon. Eliezer is afraid to move from his bunk. His father once again says, "Eliezer," and is still breathing. After roll call he looks at his father's face for over an hour. When it is time to go to bed, his father is still alive. The next day, January 29, 1945, his father has been replaced by another invalid and taken to the crematory. Eliezer does not weep and admits that deep down inside himself he feels freed by his father's death
Night: Section 7
Inside the train bodies, both dead and alive, are tangled up in each other. Eli feels indifferent to everything. Eli's father does not respond to his call and seems dead. When the train stops SS officers order that corpses be thrown out of the car. Two men begin to throw Eliezer's father out of the train, but Eliezer revives him by slapping him viciously and screaming desperately in his face. Twenty bodies are thrown out of the wagon. The prisoners travel for ten days, eating only snow.
Once, some German workmen begin throwing bread into the car and stand around watching as the prisoners tear each other to death for scraps. Eli resolves not to fight for the food and notices one man who kills his own father for a piece of bread. Then the son is killed for the same bread and both father and son lie dead side by side. Eli notes at this point in the narrative that he is fifteen years old.
On the third night of the journey Eli is awakened when someone randomly tries to strangle him. He calls his father at the last minute and is saved by a man named Meir Katz, who had been a gardener at the Buna camp. However, a few days later Meir Katz begins to cry, having finally lost his will to live.
On the last day of the journey, there is a bitter wind, and everyone gets up in order to try to keep warm. All the prisoners begin imitating the death cry of a fellow prisoner, and Meir Katz wonders out loud why the SS guards don't just shoot them all right away. Finally, they reach the camp, and only twelve people have the strength to leave the wagon. The others, including Meir Katz, remain on the train to die. They are at Buchenwald.
Once, some German workmen begin throwing bread into the car and stand around watching as the prisoners tear each other to death for scraps. Eli resolves not to fight for the food and notices one man who kills his own father for a piece of bread. Then the son is killed for the same bread and both father and son lie dead side by side. Eli notes at this point in the narrative that he is fifteen years old.
On the third night of the journey Eli is awakened when someone randomly tries to strangle him. He calls his father at the last minute and is saved by a man named Meir Katz, who had been a gardener at the Buna camp. However, a few days later Meir Katz begins to cry, having finally lost his will to live.
On the last day of the journey, there is a bitter wind, and everyone gets up in order to try to keep warm. All the prisoners begin imitating the death cry of a fellow prisoner, and Meir Katz wonders out loud why the SS guards don't just shoot them all right away. Finally, they reach the camp, and only twelve people have the strength to leave the wagon. The others, including Meir Katz, remain on the train to die. They are at Buchenwald.
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