It begins in the town of Sighet, Transylvania where Elie is studying the cabbala under the instruction of Moshe the Beadle. You can see that Elie is very devoted to his beliefs. Then Moshe is removed from the town because he is a foreign Jew, and Elie’s studies are abruptly cut short. This is the first time we see the effects of the war, and also the apathy of the people to their own situation.

When Moshe returns, it is the first warning received, and they ignore it. Even Elie is full of disbelief, but he will at least listen to his old teacher. Elie even later attempts to convince his father to leave, but to no avail. They hear the bad news, but reassure themselves that they are in no danger.

The Germans arrive, at first they are civil and the residents of the town are happy. Then things change: their possessions are taken and they are moved into the ghetto. Then they are sent the message of deportation, and miss the warning of a Hungarian police inspector to tell them they were in danger. Their last chance

A man steals something and is hung for the offense, and the rest are forced to pay their regards; it seems odd considering the vast amount of killing going on every day and how desensitized they are to death. Then a child is hung, and as they pass by his still living body, a voice declares that this is God is hanging on the gallows.

In the beginning, you can see the group mentality affecting the residents of the town. They do not want to believe the horror stories they hear so they simply don’t. Even when they feel a sense of dread, they are able to talk themselves out of any suspicions and continue to be optimistic.

They are shipped out on a train, crowded in with 80 people in a car. Madame Schacter begins to yell about fires and the furnace, and the others are nearly driven mad themselves by her yelling. They are finally let out at Birkenau, and for the first time they see the flames that Madame Schacter has perhaps foreseen.

Some topics in this essay:
Madame Schacter, Eventually American, Jew Elie’s, Soon Elie’s, Elie Wiesel, Beadle Elie, Transylvania Elie, madame schacter, residents town,