Care

It was interesting to note that during this night's reading, the morale qualities or rather the kindness of Elie begins to disappear and reveals an almost instinctual Elie. At the very beginning of his duration at the concentration camps, Elie possessed a higher amount of sympathy for his fellow comrades. However, as the situation worsens and Elie realizes the difficulty of survival, all civilized emotions seemed to have vanished. After he passes the selection, Elie was so jubilant and relieved that "the other did not matter!"(72) All thoughts on the suffering inmates who had their numbers written down was gone; survival was the only thing that occupied Elie's mind. In the concentration camps, the limits on food and the amount of work had driven the Jews to become completely different than their former educated selves. There was no room for sympathy; one's survival was the key. So much so that the ones who were convicted were "abandoned by the whole world."(72) The weak had to die, and the strong only cared for their own well being. Even if they promised to pray for their fellow friend, the sufferings they had to bear made them forget. Pain and fear were all the Jews could think of; they consumed their thoughts and left no mercy. There was no room for grieving nor sympathy, and there certainly wasn't any room for prayers. So "[they] forgot to say Kaddish"(77) despite their promises to their friend, Akiba Drumer.