Elie would not have survived captivity without his father. Well, let me rephrase that. Elie might have survived, but I think he would have faced many extra and unnecessary struggles along the way. There are three main reasons why Elie would have had a harder time without his father, the first being that his father was his advisor. Secondly, his father was his motivation, and even though Elie was very motivated on his own, his father gave him that extra push that he needed. Finally, after his fathers death, Elie felt worthless. Everything he did was merely to stay alive, and if he would’ve had that outlook from the beginning, he would not have made it as far as he did. To elaborate on my first point, Elie’s father was not only his advisor, but his protector as well. Many times, those two things went hand in hand. On page 69, Elie thinks about the fasting, but decided against it. One reason …show more content…
One of the first important times this is demonstrated is when his father motivated him to keep running. As of page 86 they have just gotten to the point where Zalman gives up, and Elie begins to wonder if he could too. However, Elie diminishes those thoughts with this one “My fathers presence is the only thing that stopped me”. If Elie’s father was not there, then he would have no reason to keep going, so his father is indirectly looking out for him in this moment as well. On page 96, Elie and his father face a selection and the unthinkable happens. They are separated. Elie runs after his father, and while the SS officers cause a commotion trying to catch him, both he and his father are able to escape to the other side, the ‘safe’ side. The last reason Elie’s father was his motivation wasn’t at one specific point, but throughout the whole book. Every time Elie ran after his father, or told him to do something to protect him, Elie was protecting his father and Vice