Chattahoochee River
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Chapter 7
This is the part of the book where the Jews lost their humanity almost entirely. They began to behave like animals once they were thrown into the convoys. They tossed their dead aside without a second thought, killed each other over scraps of bread, and many of them gave up. They were finally overwhelmed by their environment, lack of food, and lack of hope. Even the sturdiest of their ranks, Meir Katz remained on the train when they reached Buchenwald. He was done. As Elie's story nears its end, it is hard to believe that things could get any worse than they already are for him.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It's hard to imagine how cruely the Jews were treated, so I feel as though it is understandable for them to behave in the way they did. They were treated like animals so therefore they behaved like them. Their lack of hope was because of the life that they had been living.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree. It is only a matter of time when you are being treated the way that they were before you begin to lose your humanity as well.
DeleteI thought that most had essentially become dehumanized long ago, but the explicitly detailed individuals' deaths (such as that with the father whose son stole bread off of him and Meir Katz) further proved that loss. They did not become more dehumanized or apathetic. It just became more evident in desperate calls. It was too normal and even understandable to try and avoid selfishness.
ReplyDelete