strength. However, since they could no longer openly worship or pray, the people not only lost hope in religion, but they also struggled with self-identification. Eliezer in Night says specifically, “My eyes had opened and I was alone, terribly alone in a world without God, without man. Without love or mercy. I was nothing but ashes now” (Wiesel 23). Without God by his presence, Eliezer deems his identity as useless, and as nothing. Eliezer is struck with confusion, as he had solely depended on God and his faith for his entire life. Like Eliezer, Jacob in The Auschwitz Escape experienced a similar encounter as he questioned his own purpose, asking. “What was he supposed to do now? Why does it even matter anymore?” (Rosenberg 98). Due to the
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Those who appeared bigger in size were usually preferred than those who appeared thin, because they were more capable of greater strength. Age was also another factor, as soldiers would commonly mandate the younger ones to labor and exterminate the older victims. No mercy would be given for families to stick together, as in Night, Eliezer witnesses his own family go their separate ways when the soldier says, “Men to the left! Women to the right!” (Wiesel 29). The separation of genders meant that the soldiers saw that men were physically more capable to complete strenuous labor, while the women were considered to be frail and fragile. The Nazis held very simple logic regarding separation, as if a person were viewed as frail, he would be considered worthless in society. Likewise in The Auschwitz Escape, Jacob overhears the conversation of officers discussing the future of two brothers as one of them says, “Just send the older one to assist the loading. Looks like the younger one can’t do anything except cling onto his brother’s shirt” (Rosenberg 84). Since appearance is such a big factor in the concept of “survival of the fittest,” those who are deemed healthier automatically have a higher advantage of protecting their lives, as one individual recalls, “The group that I was in had people who were young, like me. For the Germans, this meant that we were more likely to live, and would be more useful if we were to be put to work” (Cohen). Ultimately, separation was not resulted to fulfill the greater good of society, but it was done to merely continue forced
Those who appeared bigger in size were usually preferred than those who appeared thin, because they were more capable of greater strength. Age was also another factor, as soldiers would commonly mandate the younger ones to labor and exterminate the older victims. No mercy would be given for families to stick together, as in Night, Eliezer witnesses his own family go their separate ways when the soldier says, “Men to the left! Women to the right!” (Wiesel 29). The separation of genders meant that the soldiers saw that men were physically more capable to complete strenuous labor, while the women were considered to be frail and fragile. The Nazis held very simple logic regarding separation, as if a person were viewed as frail, he would be considered worthless in society. Likewise in The Auschwitz Escape, Jacob overhears the conversation of officers discussing the future of two brothers as one of them says, “Just send the older one to assist the loading. Looks like the younger one can’t do anything except cling onto his brother’s shirt” (Rosenberg 84). Since appearance is such a big factor in the concept of “survival of the fittest,” those who are deemed healthier automatically have a higher advantage of protecting their lives, as one individual recalls, “The group that I was in had people who were young, like me. For the Germans, this meant that we were more likely to live, and would be more useful if we were to be put to work” (Cohen). Ultimately, separation was not resulted to fulfill the greater good of society, but it was done to merely continue forced