I was surprised to catch myself feeling very insensitive to the events taking place. I felt as though the book was essentially repeating itself. For example, when Elie was punished for discovering the SS officer and the young girl fornicating in a deserted room, he recalls that he "no longer felt anything except the lashes of the whip. [The officer] took his time between lashes. Only the first really hurt" (57). Just as Elie does not feel anything after the initial strike, I am almost no longer experiencing the surprise and emotion towards what is happening. Maybe I, too, am adapting to the same environment the Jews were forced into. I had stated in a previous response how exposing oneself to grotesque and horrible images allows the mind to build barriers against the corresponding emotions. This may be happening now. Possibly the reason why I have adapted so quickly is because I am comfortably louging on the couch reading a book. There is no physical adaptation to overcome; the mind comes first; mind over matter. I do, however, feel guilty for letting myself revert to a comfortable state of mind, allowing my conscience, not so much as to adapt, but rather ignore the true meaning and pain of the words in front of me and consider only the textual definitions. On the other hand, this may help me see the Holocaust at this point throught the eyes of Wiesel, for he, too, is immune to its tortuous effects on the brain.
At this stage in Elie's imprisonment, he and all the other Jews are beginning to recognize the purpose of friendship in survival. On the one hand, companionship allows one to have some reason to persevere. When Elie and his father are put in the electrical building to separate parts, he is introduced to two brothers, Yossi and Tibi, whose parents had been killed in a previous concentration camp. Elie remembers the brothers telling him that they "lived for each other, body and soul" (50), which, with the memory of their parents' extermination, may have helped them to survive and push the other to carry on. In fact, I remember reading in my research how the brothers attributed their survival to the strong bond they had developed. I do feel that having a companion during tough times does ease the strain on both partners. For one, you are not alone in your efforts. Sometimes humans, when faced with extreme adversity, lose sight of hope because their minds and their hearts are telling them to simply succumb and release their burden. Yet, this is not always the best choice, and we may often need that extra push to keep on moving forward. It helps even more if the companion is simultaneously empathetic to your endeavors. In the case of Yossi and Tibi, they are similarly subjected to the terrors of the Holocaust. Therefore, they understand the predicament, as well as each other, and essentially share the hardship. Because of this, I do feel that the phrase "misery loves company" may actually be quite beneficial in certain circumstances.
I agree with you that people often become immune to horrid situations when they are faced with it long enough. However, when I read the book Night I still have sympathy for the innocent victims. I hate having to read about the unnecessary beatings and deaths from malnutrition and hangings. I just can’t grasp how humans can treat other humans like they have no feelings or pain. If the situation were reversed the Germans would protest at the appalling conditions they were put through because no one would ever want to be put in a selection or be crammed in a cattle car and teased with stale food. For me, I don’t think I would ever be able to fully adapt to how the Jewish were treated. No matter what situation I am faced with, I feel bad if I have to see someone else suffer and I cannot do anything to help.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree with you when you stated that friendship was an important aspect of life at the concentration camps. I believe the phrase “misery loves company” fits this situation perfectly because like Elie, he is terrified of being separated from his father. Even though his dad is becoming weaker, it is still better for Elie to have someone from his old life still with him, instead of going through this undertaking alone. I would be interested to see what would happen to Elie mentally if he lost the guidance of his father because he has already turned away from God, so he would not have anyone left to go to. I know I can relate to when you talked about how it is easier to keep hope alive when you have someone by your side. It is a lot easier to give up when you’re alone because it doesn’t feel like you are letting anyone down and there is no one there to encourage you to persevere.