Chattahoochee River

Chattahoochee River

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“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Chapter 6

What stood out to me the most, despite this chapter being incredibly sad and such, was Elie's father's smile. Elie didn't go into very many details about it, but I could sense that it meant a lot to him. That despite everything that was done to them, they were still human in the end. "What world did it come from?" Elie and his father have gone through hell and back and now that something as natural as a smile is finally displayed, it's bizarre. It's not natural because it's not something that's part of the everyday life of living in a concentration camp. This was something innocent, truly beautiful because it stood out amidst the hell around them.
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4 comments:

  1. MarisaFebruary 1, 2015 at 8:33 PM

    I think what really brings about his smile is that Eliezer woke him -- meaning that he was still alive and he was still looking out to keep his father alive as well. He's happy, and maybe even a little relieved, that his son isn't going to just let him die so he has less to worry about, like how the rabbi was abandoned by his son.

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  2. UnknownFebruary 3, 2015 at 1:04 PM

    I agree with you yoaly, but I also think that he smiled in order to give Elie hope. I think his father understood that maybe things wouldn't get better after that and he wanted to make Elie think that in all the darkness there was possibly a better future.

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  3. YoalyFebruary 3, 2015 at 5:21 PM

    Marissa, yes I can see his father being relieved that Elie didn't let him fall asleep. I agree and maybe there were some other factors too like just being by his side was enough to make him smile.
    Arlene, I see where you are coming from. Amidst all this danger his father wasn't the type to give up so easily, or at least he worried more about his son (I'm thinking when he tried to give Elie his spoon and knife).

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  4. UnknownFebruary 9, 2015 at 5:13 PM

    Yoaly, I like your interpretation of the meaning of the smile, as well as yours, Marissa. When I first read this chapter, I interpreted it as a sign that Elie's father was losing his mind. I got the sense of bewilderment from Elie himself and in the way he wrote this passage.

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