How Far Will You Go to Belong-Rachael Gregson

on
An important factor that I think determines protagonist Elisha's actions throughout the book is his internal struggle to belong. After losing his family to concentration camps, Elisha has no choice but to choose a life of fighting for the Jewish resistance if he does not want to spend his time being homeless in the post-World War II era. At first, he finds a sense of the family he had lost in the comrades that become apart of his unit, until he receives strict orders to shoot a British captive and wonders whether there will be any distinction between him and a German Nazi after the killing. The thought of that possibility becoming true terrifies Elisha, frustrating his friends into trying to persuade him to disregard his confidence and do what's best for the group. In the end, they succeed, and Elisha gives in to killing the man regardless of his internal struggle. This scene presents a commonly asked question in the mind of anyone who's ever struggled with attempting to belong: how far will I go to prove my worth to others, to fit in? Elisha's desperation to replace the void his family left blinded him from seeing the difference between manipulation and innocent persuasion. Innocent persuasion was far from what his comrades did to get him to level himself with a Nazi. What Elisha has done is only going to deepen the hole inside of him. He has become what had killed his family.

I commented on posts by Leanne and Hailey.

Comments

lwhite said…
The dilemma, guilt, and his struggle to justify his wrongdoing took me on a roller coaster of emotions. I think you touched on his struggle perfectly. Very well written, Rachel.
February 16, 2020 at 8:54 AM
Moriah Nelson said…
I'm not sure how this point didn't stand out to me while I was reading "Dawn", but I think you are right, Rachael! It certainly seems that Elisha had close relationships with his family and friends and after he was liberated from Auschwitz, I'm sure he was ready for any life that would at least somewhat resemble the life he had before the Holocaust. I think this is why Wiesel asked if he would act as Elisha were he in slightly different circumstances after the way. It is so heart-breaking to see Elisha completely change his identity, pieced together by his family's legacy, in his pursuit of finding family again.
February 16, 2020 at 1:22 PM
Drew Hedden said…
I hadn't really considered much of Elisha's struggle to be in identity but more in ethics and morals, but now that you say this, I feel that there's a good chance that he grappled with both identity- who he is- and choices- what he does- at the same time. The two aren't mutually exclusive. I find it hard to put all of the blame on Elisha though- if he didn't know he was being manipulated, he didn't know- regardless of whether he should have seen it or not. Very difficult thoughts to consider.
February 17, 2020 at 1:31 PM
Post a Comment