What struck me most about the book during and after the death march was the relationship between father and son.  It seems as if they only live for each other and their family member is the only reason they persevere.  Elie says, “My father was running next to me, out of breath, out of strength, desperate.  I had no right to let myself die.  What would he do without me? I was his sole support.” (86-87)  This relationship makes me think of my own family, and what I would do in a situation like this.  I care for all of them, but at the same time, you have to take care of yourself because when natural instincts take over, they are hard to ignore.  

Elie finds himself conflicted with this at multiple times.  Sometimes he would show selflessness and bring his father water or extra soup and bread, food that he could have saved for himself.  But when Elie’s dad was being beaten for his food by his neighbors, Elie did not move in fear of getting hurt himself.  This conflict is also present when Wiesel sees an old man being beaten by his son over bread, this is extremely saddening to me because the father, who was hiding bread to give to his son is actually killed by his own child because he became so desperate for food.  Not only does this sadden me, but it angers me because I do not understand how someone could kill their own father over bread.  Bread.  But at the concentration camps, it seems as if it is just everyone for themselves.  As the Blockalteste said, “Don’t forget that you are in a concentration camp.  In this place, it is every man for himself, and you cannot think of others.  Not even your father.  In this place, there is no such thing as father, brother friend.  Each of us lives and dies alone.” (110)  I hate to admit it, but I do agree with this quote... Sometimes you have to be selfish, in order to survive, but there are limits on selfishness.  Killing one’s family member over a few crumbs of bread is pathetic, there is no excuse for that kind of inhumanity, even in times of desperation.  Being selfish led to the deaths of both father and son.  I do believe, the key to Elie’s survival was his ability to detach himself from the tragedies around him.

When Elie’s dad died, he showed almost no emotion whatsoever.  He said, “I spent my days in total idleness.  With only one desire: to eat, I no longer thought of my father, or my mother.  From time to time I would dream.  But only about soup, an extra ration of soup.” (113)  He was completely focused on his own survival and barely thought about the death of his father or where his mother and sisters were.  This kind of numbness allowed him to persevere through difficult times and survive.