Night Blog: Violence

"Look at the fire! Look at the flames! Flames everywhere…" Once again, the young men bound and gagged her. When they actually struck her, people shouted their approval: "Keep her quite! Make that madwoman shut up. She’s not the only one here …" She received several blows to the head, blows that could have been lethal." (2.35-38) Violence 

Since the Jews were so badly treated and tortured, they began to terrify each other as well. They were so afraid and started to turn on one another. They lash out at the women because she is telling them that something terrible is coming. They get scared that if they try to protect one another, they will too get punished for trying to stand up to them. They will take it as disrespect so they try to save themselves by making it seem like they hate their own kind as well. Whenever someone tries to break this thing apart they get even more angry and try to encourage violence agains that one person to keep from things getting worse. They start being violent against one another from fright. 

"Faster you filthy dogs!" We were no longer marching, we were running. Like automatons. The SS were running as well, weapons in hand. We looked as though we were running from them. The night was pitch-black. From time to time, a shot exploded in the darkness. They had orders to shoot anyone who could not sustain the pace. Their fingers on the triggers, they did not deprive themselves of the pleasure. If one of us stopped for a second, a quick shot eliminated the filthy dog." (6.3-4) Violence

The SS officers would be abusive and make death threats. They would tell them they were going to be killed to scare the prisoners so that they would listen and do whatever they said. The SS are ordered to do multiple things to make the prisoners suffer. From beating them to killing them. Even though they get orders from their boss to do such things, they get pleasure and enjoy watching the struggling prisoners fall to the ground as they shoot them down. They get rid of any prisoners that do not serve a purpose to them or who do not do the job right. They didn't see anything wrong with treating them with such utter violence. They also thought that what they were doing was to make the world a better place and that just shows how sickening this part in history was. 

"One day when Idek was venting his fury, I happened to cross his path. He threw himself on me like a wild beast, beating me in the chest, on my head, throwing me to the ground and picking me up again, crushing me with ever more violent blows, until I was covered in blood. As I bit my lips in order not to howl with pain, he must have mistaken my silence for defiance and so he continued to hit me harder and harder. Abruptly, he calmed down and sent me back to work as if nothing had happened. As if we had taken part in a game in which both roles were of equal importance." (4.64-65) Violence

The men are very violent and want to lash out at anything because they are losing their minds. The pressure will get to someone and it drives them to the point of insanity. When someone is under that kind of concept and it's something shocking which is very harsh on their body and mind, everything starts breaking down. Especially when people are getting killed everyday and you're around that. Knowing that any day you can be the next one to get killed. It's is violence that makes no sense and has no purpose. Some men don't even mean to do it and are to the point where they don't even have an idea of how bad it is or what they are doing. Innocent violence is basically the situation.