CONFLICT

EXAMPLE FROM THE TEXT

CHANGE IN ELIE

CHARACTER VS. NATURE

Pages 92-98

Several scenarios are present in chapter 6 and 7. They include the following;

• Prisoners were using their fellows’ backs to eat snow from. These prisoners also tried to keep warm by using open cattle cars.

• Another instance is someone’s face had frost all over. Cuddled together with his father, he could not tell whether he was alive or dead. As such, some prisoners wanted to throw him out if not for the intervention by Elie. He slapped him and he responded.

• Another scene is of an old man who had bread. His son climbed on top of him as he took the bread. The old man and the son were eventually found dead, side-by-side.

Elie was overwhelmed and felt no need to live anymore. He was only 15 still but had seen so many horrors in the world.

CHARACTER VS. SELF

Pages 105-106

In chapter 8, Elie’s father falls sick and he intends to feed him giving him his ration. However, the head of the block convinces him that everyone should fend for himself. He encourages him to refrain from giving up his ration for his father, as he would end up losing his life too. Elie is confused and becomes stressed.

Elie, at first, thought that the head of the block had a point. He thought that what he said was reasonable and the truth in their situation then. He kept thinking to himself that it was too late to save his life. However, his conscious was restless and he could not come to terms with these facts. As he kept weighing over the options, he eventually gave in to being empathetic to his father. He decides to go back and fetch his father some soup. The father is, however, uninterested, as he only wants water. Elie’s sympathy is still at work and allows him to fetch him the water too.

CHARACTER VS. SOCIETY

Page 95 (Chapter 7)

A scene is presented where he less fortunate are looked down upon by the privileged. A worker throws a piece of bread into the wagon containing the prisoners. They go ahead to stand and watch while enjoying the sight of these emaciated individuals struggle and fight for the pieces of bread. The long periods of hunger made them forge important values in the society like equality. This requires that they share equally the little they had been given.

Elie was moved by the scene displayed as the individuals scrambled for a crust of bread. He loathed the idea of seeing others enjoy themselves at the expense of others. The workers enjoyed it when the less fortunate struggled for something that they themselves had in plenty. Years later, he comes across a similar scenario when people dived into water to collect coins thrown by some passengers on a boat. He succeeded to convince an old lady not to throw another coin into the water to avoid further scrambles.

CHARACTER VS. CHARACTER

Page 100

(Chapter 8)

This scene shows Ellie and his father engage in a strife. Elie’s father wants to sleep outside unlike their norm. It is common that all those who sleep outside never wake up. Elie tries to convince him but he is adamant. Eventually, Elie decides to let him have it his way. He is forced to go back inside at the sound of wailing sirens. He goes back to his block and forgets about him.

Elie realized just how much his father had given up. He had tried so much to revive his fighting spirit but to no avail. The dad was keen to die and was willing to even take his own life. He would intentionally place himself in life threatening situations just to have a taste of death. Elie realized he was no longer fighting against his father. He was in a battle against death.