Chapters 2 and 3

Elie and his family are among the last of the Jews to leave the ghetto and get into the train which is described to be a very uncomfortable, crowded, and hot space. They were not sure where they were going and the women named  Mrs. Schachter who kept screaming out paranoid warnings about fire. Much like Moishe,  Mrs. Schachter's warnings are immediately written off as crazy and she is even physically assaulted by the others on the train. This was yet another time that the people of Sighet ignored a warning out of fear and thought foolishly towards a future that would not be as bad as many warned that it would be. They eventually arrive at their destination, Auschwitz.

The horrible events that occurred to Elie such as getting separated from his mother and sisters and then facing the threat of being incinerated are all incredibly horrible and extremely difficult to imagine actually happening to a human being. He and his father manage to stay together and experience sorting processes in which some Jews are allowed to advance whereas other are not so lucky. They are advised to lie at times in order to keep themselves from not seeming able to work and being killed right away. Both Elie and his father survive this process and find themselves being disinfected and showered before being sent to their barracks. They keep their faith in God despite the many atrocities that they have already seen. They are eventually moved to Buna which is the work camp where they will be residing.

The one night when he was almost incinerated must have been a terrible ordeal as well as a powerful awakening to Elie as well as the others from Sighet who at one point had perhaps thought that life wouldn't be so bad under the Germans but now realized the cruelty which they were facing as even babies were thrown to the flames.

The gates of Auschwitz

"Work Makes You Free"

                                         
Further information on Auschwitz
  http://www.auschwitz.dk/auschwitz.htm