This violence and inhumane punishment clearly demonstrates how the men were turned into animals, being whipped just as a farmer would whip his cattle. Any punishment whatsoever was unnecessary to start with, as Elie simply walks in by accident on a Kapo sleeping with a girl. However, because the Nazis are attempting to turn the prisoners into animals, Elie is not allowed any benevolence or mercy, and is publicly whipped to the point of fainting. This is a clear demonstration of how the Nazis utilize physical abuse to dehumanize prisoners like Elie and his father. Moreover, Ellen Fine describes how during the time that Elie is witnessing his father being beaten, “rage against the aggressor has been displaced onto the victim, and concern for