Elie and His Father

Elie’s father was not looking well at all, and Elie had to reassure him that they would rest soon, but he had not responded, showing how weak he was. Elie was pretty weary himself too. There were so many prisoners and guards were lashing out recklessly to calm the prisoners down, Elie’s father had said that he couldn’t live anymore and that he was to die that night. He had also told Elie to leave him and come back to get him when they get to take a shower, but Elie had gotten furious, because they had worked so hard and stuck together to live on, so he could not leave his father. His father pleaded for him to leave him to rest on the ground, for he was weak, frightened, and vulnerable. It was then the soldiers had ordered them to get to their blocks and get rest. Elie had awoken and remembered that he had abandoned his father the previous night, so he went searching for him, though he had thoughts of how it’d be much easier to survive and take care just himself, and leave his father, but soon after he was ashamed of thinking such things. Finally after about four hours, Elie found his father in a line to get coffee, his father seemed to have a fever, though Elie still got coffee for his father, he only took one sip. He was very happy and later on in the day Elie gave him a bit of his own soup, but he had done so grudgingly, Elie states that just like Rabbi Eliahu’s son, he had not passed the test. It is sad to see Elie start to drift a bit away from helping his father and at points thinking how much better it'd be if he was not there. The Nazis really had dehumanized everyone at the camps and made them to only think of their own survival.

Every day is it passes, his father was getting weaker and weaker. One time his father had not recognize dhim and just kept on running. His father had gotten dysentery and had been very weak. Elie had traded his bread for a cot right by his father, so he could look after him. His father was hurting very much, but the doctors said they could not help him. Elie told him to rest and left for a bit, when he had came back with bread, he had found his dad had been beaten up by the Frenchman and the Pole, Elie was furious and said it was one more reason to hate the Nazis. Elie had tried to ask his father’s neighbors to watch out for him for bread, but they just laughed and they could not stand his father anymore. The beatings continued and his father was becoming weaker and closer to death each time. After a week, the Blockalteste had come and told that there was nothing the doctor nor Elie could do for him anymore, and that it was every man for himself and that he should stop giving bread and soup to his father, but instead take his rations instead. Elie deep down knew he was right and that it was to late to save his father, he could take his rations and have 2 times the amount just for himself, but right after Elie felt very guilty and went to get his father soup. That night he had gone to sleep and the very next morning, January 29th, there was a new person on his father’s cot. Elie did not weep at all, which pained him that he could not, and he thought deep down that he was free at last. It was very sad when this happened, but at the same time Elie must've felt as if a burden was lifted off of him, and now that his father was gone he had a much higher chance of surviving, since he no longer needs to take care of someone else. Though it was very sad and must've been hard on Elie deep down, even though he did not cry.