Once again, animal terms are used to describe the inmates in this chapter. List three times when Wiesel or the guards use animal imagery to describe the men.
What evidence exists early in this chapter that the emaciated prisoners are actually stronger than their guards?
Thinking back to the description of Akiba Drumer in chapter five, what similarities do Drumer and Wiesel hold? What’s a crucial difference between them?
As his father sleeps, Wiesel watches over the older man, making sure he’s safe and breathing. At one point, the elder Wiesel “awoke with a start. He sat up, bewildered, stunned, like an orphan.” What’s significant about this particular simile choice?
Explain how Rabbi Eliahu and his son can be seen as a parallel for the relationship between Wiesel and his father.
Repeatedly, Wiesel has spoken about his anger with God, yet there is evidence in this chapter that his faith is not entirely broken. Describe the moment that the reader realizes Wiesel is still a believer.
What is significant about Juliek playing a Beethoven concerto as he died? Do you think Juliek actually played the music for the mass of people in the pile, or do you think the music was a hallucination created by Wiesel’s mind? Explain your answer.
Write two lines from this chapter where it’s clear that the prisoners set aside their own values in order to survive.