Elie arrived at Birkenau with his family. The SS men divided the group into men and woman and each group went in a different direction. That was the last time Elie saw his mother and sisters. Elie stayed close to his dad and held his hand in the beginning. The group of men was moving toward the flames. A male stranger spoke to Elie and asked his age and he responded 15. The stranger told him to say 18 and not 15 when asked. The stranger asked his dad his age and he responded 50. The stranger told him to answer 40 when asked. When asked his age Elie responded 18 and was sent to the left. He hoped his dad would also come to the left. When his dad said he was 40 he too was sent to the left. Elie was happy. The group that went to the left was instructed to strip and keep their belt and shoes. Once naked all of their hair was shaved off, they showered, ran, and then to the barracks. The men were given prison looking clothes of all sizes. Elie and his dad were moved to Auschwitz where working makes you feel free. Also each man was tattooed with a person number. Elie was number A 7713.
The men saw people being taken to the crematorium and killed. The thought was so bad that often Elie thought it all was a dream. Elie often thought about his mother and sisters. They remained at this place for three weeks before moving to Buna.
It did not take Elie very long to realize that this trip was not going to be a vacation. I can understand why he wanted to stay close to his dad for comfort and security. I know he missed his mother and sister and is not sure he will ever see them again. I was glad that Elie and his dad followed the direction from the stranger about their age. This hint kept them from being sent to the line moving toward the crematorium. I can not imagine how bad it felt when they were told to strip and they could only keep their belt and shoes. All they really had left was their self and each other. Having a number tattooed on your skin is like marking cattle. Elie and his family have been treated like livestock from when they were first put into the cattle train car.