What changes Elie from the devout believer he is at the start of the text to the spiritually empty person he becomes?

In the times of oppression during World War 2 many individuals lost their lives due to their lost of hope of survival. But for all its seeming cruelty, there were signs of “human behaviours” in a few individuals that assisted Elie to maintain his humanity. It was this and his close relationship with his father, as they support one another that saw Elie develop a strong desire to live essential in his quest for survival.

It was the help that Elie received from his father that played an integral part of Elie’s survival. From his loyalty and love for his son, Chlomo helped Elie cope with pain and suffering in the abrasive conditions of the concentration camps. From the beginning when Elie’s shock witness at the ruthless slaughter of innocent babies he held onto his father’s ‘familiar hand,’ the one that he could seek comfort and reassurance from. As their journeys became harsh and brutal where they were forced to carry out rigorous labour in order to live, his father go...