Auschwitz and The Little Things

One thing I noticed when reading Maus II was that the little things that happened to Vladek gave him hopes of surviving. One part that I found particularly interesting was when the priest explained to him why he would be alive once everything was over. Vladek only saw this man one time and his words stuck with him throughout his whole life and time during the holocaust. Just by coming up with little positive things that the numbers on his arm represented helped Vladek keep faith that he would survive. The priest could've even lied about what the numbers represented and it still would've helped Vladek. I believe it was little things like this that helped many of the survivors of the holocaust last as long as they did. What else did they really have to look forward to or hope for?

While things were going "good" for Vladek, he had a friend named Mandelbaum that wasn't doing so well. All of the Jews were asked if they spoke English and Polish. Since Vladek knew both he was able to teach the German some English. At this time, his friend Mandelbaum Only had one shoe that he could use and no spoon. Through Vladek's speech lessons, he was able to get Mandelbaum a new pair of shoes. Vladek was able to help his friend and I believe this was only possible because Vladek believed he was going to survive. Before the priest talked to Vladek, he was in pretty bad shape. It was as if the priest helped Vladek and anyone that Vladek came across.

I also found it interesting that Vladek and Mandelbaum slept in the same bunk even though there were bunks open. I think this just shows the need for people in the camps to feel a connection with another person. The added support for one another helped them get through what they had to.