From the very beginning of World War II, the Jews practiced denial as a form of survival. The prospect of the rumors of concentration camps and slaughtering of their friends and family being true was too great a burden for many of them. As a means of survival, the Jews attempted to keep their lives as normal as possible.
Continuing to live in denial of their ever changing surrounding, the Jews remained peaceful and formed their own community. With no resistance from the Jews, the Germans had to exert little force to maintain control. Inadvertently, by denying the Germans hold over them, the Jews were protecting themselves from the danger of being punished for rebellion.
Even with the significance of a tabernacle holds for a Jew, survival instincts
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Whether it be in the Red Cross, the Russians, God, or a relative, they clung to some form of rescue outside of themselves. Hope kept up their will to survive, even if it was just for one more day.
Those confined in the concentration camp were becoming desperate. Starved, men were willing to do anything for food, even if that risk most certainly ended with death. The men wanted nothing more to survive and to fulfill basic human needs.
When Elie’s foot became infected, he was excited over the fact that the doctor decided that he needed surgery for him. It is hard to determine from the passage why exactly he was excited. Was he worried he would not have made the choice to take the necessary operation? Was he excited that by having the doctor decide he needed the operation, he would “protected” from the Nazis?
Even after his willingness to survive for so long (over a year!) in the concentration camp, the prospect over continuing on in the snow was too much to bear. Honestly, it is remarkable at how much the human body can in fact endure. Elie was able to push himself through the pain and exhaustion and made it to the next