Chapters 2 and 3

Chapters 2 and 3 were much more interesting to read than chapter 1. It was horrible to read about what was happening to Elie, and all of the other people. During these two chapters we meet, Madame Schachter, a woman who had been seperated from her family. All that she had left was her 10 year old son. Her husband and two eldest sons had been deported on the first transport."Fire! I can see a fire! I can see a fire!" That is what Madame Schachter kept screaming on the way to the concentration camp. The other people that were there thought that she had gone mad. I'm not sure if she knew about the furnaces or if she had really gone crazy. Either way I felt bad for her after everything that she had been through. It is easy to tell that family mean a lot to Elie. When they got to the camps they were seperated. "Men to the left! Women to the right!" Is what SS officers said to everyone. "I was parting from my mother and Tzipora forever." This was a very emotional part for Elie. Knowing that you might not see most of your family ever again is very emotional. The only family he had left was his father. I wouldn't be able to handle being seperated from my family. It was not right for them to treat people the way they did. One person had to put his own father into the furnace. I can't even imagine doing that to someone that I love.

I felt really sorry for Madame Schachter. People were acting like she was a nuisance when she was just so over ridden with emotion. If I had lost family members because of deportation already, I would be on the verge of insane too. And when it all comes out, they should've listened to her, because she was basically foreshadowing what was about to happen.

The quote about leaving his mother and sister forever makes me really sad. They way he adds the word "forever" makes it feel really final, like he says it with a heavy heart. I can feel the emotion in what he is saying and it's heart breaking. I rely on my family for everything, and it wouldn't know how to react to being separated from them. Elie is so strong and tough. I feel like his heart is already starting to grow cold though.