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Blog Post #3-Lachlan

Hope

The most important theme I have identified is loss and gain of hope. It is repetitively brought up throughout the memoir in every stage of Elie’s life throughout the Holocaust. Eliezer recalls the Jews kept hope on the death marches. They kept hope that the Russians would come soon and end the pain “There was whispering from one bunk to the other; with a little luck, the Russians would be here before the evacuation. Hope was still alive.” (83). Elie also says that the overseers of Auschwitz tell the Jews not to lose hope. Elie recounts the overseer saying this on page (41) “ "Comrades, you are now in the concentration camp Auschwitz. Ahead of you lies a long road paved with suffering. Don't lose hope. You have already eluded the worst danger: the selection. Therefore, muster your strength and keep your faith. We shall all see the day of liberation…”  Even in the hardest situations Elie had hope. Hope is also mentioned when Elie discusses the matter of food. Eliezer has free time in his commando when he chooses it to find food. Elie writes, “Tired of huddling on the ground, we each took turns strolling through the warehouse, in the hope of finding something, a piece of bread, perhaps, that a civilian might have forgotten there” (56). Every spare second they had was filled with hope in trying to get or obtain something whether it was the satisfaction of eating or the satisfaction and need of rest.

Unfortunately I cannot think of one way to connect Elie's experiences with my own. At least not an extreme way. Elie went through more pain than anyone should have ever had to go through. I think it would be selfish to mention or compare my life to Elie's. All I can say is the idea of hope is shared with everyone. Everyone hopes for something, perhaps for a job or for a spouse. It can be anywhere, and to everybody. I think hope is the ultimate influence and motivation for all things. In conclusion I think the big theme that Eliezer tries to convey whether on purpose or on accident is hope!

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Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 22, 2018 at 7:12 PM

    Lachlan,

    I agree completely about what you said about loss and gain of hope and I think your examples from the book were chosen well, especially about not losing hope. I also agree with not being able to connect any of Elie's experiences in a major way with any of my own. Elie's experiences are just to terrible and traumatizing. Overall, I think this is a very strong blog post. Good work!

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