We learned from Tim O'Brien in the The Things They Carried, that there are different perceptions of truth, however, in the case of Stein's family, Elie could be presumably discern that they were dead. I've yet to determine how I feel about Elie's decision because after all, it was a though predicament to be in. Here you are in this foreign and terribly bleak situation where you have no idea what will happen to you or when it will happen, or even why it will happen. You've already endured so much, the loss of your family, the death of your faith, the presence of the crematorium, and even now when it seems like things are finally settling down, you're forced to make an incredible decision.
I believe it was in Heart of Darkness where the narrator met the wife/girlfriend ( sorry, but I really don't recall much from this book) of that crazy adventurer guy who died of illness, and upon meeting her, he lied about the deceased man's last words to comfort her. I'm not completely sure, but perhaps the situation with Elie and Stein and maybe Elie was simply lying to protect Stein.
Even then, Stein still discovered the "real truth", however, so I wonder, was the lie truly worth it?
I do believe the lie was truly worth it, because for the time, Stein still had a sense of hope. I think with Elie being so young, he was put in a rather tough predicament and made the decision that he thought was right. Even he wanted to believe, and at least pretended, that his mother and sisters were still alive.
ReplyDeleteMikaela, I do agree that Elie must have been under a lot of pressure since he was so young and facing such a huge decision. At the same time, I question whether lying made the situation worse.
ReplyDeleteI know that Stein and Elie might not have been super close, but they were in fact family. I don't know, I just feel like if I was in Stein's place, I'd be devastated to learn the people who I trust the most, especially in a situation as terrible as the internment camp, couldn't tell me the truth, and instead I had to learn it from someone else.
I can see where you are coming from, but do you think Stein ever actually found out that Elie had lied? I mean, he did eventually find out the truth, but maybe he never figured out Elie had lied, because it could have been possible that they had heard good news about Stein's family. It never really says he found out what he was told was in fact a lie. So maybe the little lie saved him from a great deal of pain that could have tormented him for a lot longer. But I do think you have a valid point, and maybe hearing something so personal is better coming from those you know and trust.
DeleteChinyere, I was pondering about the same thing and truthfully I came to an answer and the answer is so vague because although it is an answer, it is not an answer. My answer is that when you are in the same situation you will know what to do because thinking about the answer when you have not experienced the same thing is easy to determine because you think that you will do what you said you would do, but, everything changes and even your action changes once you are in the same situation. I realized this when I had a discussion in my second English class about abortion: I guess some people say that they wouldn't abort a child, but they change their minds once they are in the situation because many factors and things could ave happened to change their previous decision. I apologize for bringing this topic up since it has nothing to do with what you are discussing but I am trying to explain how I came to a conclusion of what I would have done in Wiesel's situation. When I think about it I think I would have lied too but if I experienced the same thing then I honestly don't know what I would have done. Don't forget that Wiesel was not at fault and for him to make such a huge decision was very mature as his father should have been the one to tell the relative something.
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