Chapter 9

At the end of the Book, Eliezer is freed. He is released on April 11th, along with the rest of the camp. It had been 6 days since his last meal. When the prisoners got out of the camp, they ran for provisions. Eliezer then contracted some type of poison, which kept him in a hospital for two weeks. The story ends with Eliezer looking at himself in the mirror, and seeing a corpse.

I thought this was a good end to the story, because Eliezer had lost his identity in these years. The words he used were, "A corpse was contemplating me." This was good because it showed the reader that Eliezer was really thinking about himself. he also says that the gaze has never left him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eoKJ-Zr6Rc

Chapter 8

The prisoners travel to Buchenwald in chapter 8. Eliezer is starting to want to leave his father, and there relationship is tested in this chapter. Eliezer's father is very ill, and Eliezer brings him bread, only after contemplating keeping it for himself, to better his chance for survival. Men beat up his father and take his rations. He pleads to Eliezer to bring him water. At the end of the chapter Eliezer wakes and his father is gone.

I was shocked at the fact that Eliezer was relieved by his fathers death. A few chapters ago he said he hoped he wouldn't turn into the kid who left his father on the march. Yet, he was just like him. At the end of the book he became selfish, and he was thankful his father passed just so he could keep the rations.

Chapter 7

In chapter 7, there is another selection, and Eliezer's father is picked for death. Eliezer runs over to him, and they are both able to sneak back onto the other side. The prisoners are then forced to move the bodies. After that, they are herded into cattle cars for 10 days without food, only living on snow. Many of the civilians throw food into the cars, watching as the starving people fight to the death for the food.

One day, Eliezer is almost strangled in his sleep, but a man named Meir Katz saves him. When the cars arrive, only 12 people have survived the journey. 

I was amazed at the end of the chapter that Eliezer's father made it through the journey. He was in such bad condition before the trip, that i was sure he would be dead by the end. 88 out of 100 of the men died, yet Eliezer's father was able to live. Good thing he was able to sneak to the other side.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 starts with Eliezer and the rest of the camp running away. The SS continue to scream at them to run faster, and anyone that stopped for a second was killed. Eventually they come to an abandoned town, and many of the prisoners run to a shed. Then they continued marching and eventually arrive in Gleiwitz.
Juliek dies quickly after arrival.

I had a lot of empathy for the people in this chapter because of the physical stress they had to endure on the run. I hate running, and these malnourished people had to do it for hours in the snow. It must have been so hard not to stop for a breath, but the threat of death kept them moving.

http://www.wollheim-memorial.de/en/evakuierung_todesmarsch_en

Chapter 5

Eliezer opens the chapter by wondering if it could be his last day. He think about Rosh Hashanah, and then he hears in inmate praising God. Elieser realizes that he supports God as he used to. He believes that man is greater than God. Then on Yom Kippur, Elie does not fast, he is "no longer accepting God's silence." Then a selection occurs. The prisoners are observed and some are chosen to be killed. Eliezer and his father both survive, but 10 others are not so lucky.

Winter came and made things even worse. Conditions did not improve, and the cold just added another obstacle for the workers. Elie went to the doctor for his foot. The camp was supposed to be evacuated and Eliezer went with them, because he thought he would be executed. He later found out that those who stayed were freed by the Russians.

http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/the-final-solution/auschwitz-birkenau/selection/#.UUyuyxcp92A

Chapter 4

In Chapter 4, Eliezer is lucky enough to get put into the same work unit as his father, working in a warehouse. They are also luck enough to be placed in housing with a very kind German. In the housing unit, Elizer meets a boy named Juliek, who is a violoinist. He and his brothers are Zionist, and Eliezer decides that he wants to move to Palestine.

One of the important parts of the chapter was when Eliezer was called to the Dentist. He was supposed to have his gold crown pulled, but he faked illness, knowing that the crown would be important in the long run.
Later though, he is spotted with the crown and he is beaten. He is also beaten later on when he catches Idek having sex in the barracks. At the end of the chapter Eliezer decides that God has been killed.

http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/the-camps/daily-life/work/

Chapter 3

     At Birkenau, many of the weaker members are immediately killed. The stronger healthier members are put to work. Also, Eliezer is separated from his mother and his younger sister. While at the camp, another man tells Elezer to lie about his age. Although unsure at first, he decides to tell them that he is 18. He is moved to the prison with his father.
   
     This section gives Eliezer his first look at the terrible things that are going on in the camp. While he is walking with his father he sees an area where babies are being burned. He doesn't understand how this could happen in the world, but his father tells him that there are no laws there. Later, his father is beaten when asking to go to the bathroom.

Chapter Two

      The Jews are huddled on a bus for days. They are very thirsty and hot. A woman named Mrs. Schachter begins to scream about a fire. This is very unsettling for the rest of the passengers, and they eventually begin to beat her into submission. She has many episodes of the screams, until they finally get to the camp, and there is a real fire.

     The trip was very rough for everyone. Eliezer describes the way people are cramped, many unable to stand. Once a German officer came onto the train and made them give all of their possessions away. He said if anyone tried to escape, they would all be shot. At the end of the chapter, the train arrives at Birkenau.

Chapter One

Eliezer is one of four children in a strict Jewish family. He is the only boy and he is twelve years old.They live in a town called Sighet, in Transylvania. Eliezer and his family strictly adhere to Jewish laws, and he tells of how he reads the Talmud everyday. His father is a shopkeeper, and is highly respected among the Jewish Community. He also tells of how the Germans are occupying Sighet. Their situation soon takes a turn for the worst.

German control spreads from the capital into Sighet. Eliezer and his family are moved into a ghetto and forced to wear Stars of David. They are then moved into an even smaller ghetto. A woman asks his family if they want to be hidden but they decline her offer. Then the Germans begin to move the Jews from the Ghettos to Auschwitz.