A.) Question #1:

 What kind of boy was Elie in 1941? Would you say that he was a typical 13 years old? Explain 

 Elie, is thirteen year old boy who grew up in a little town called Sighet in Transylvania, Elie is very smart and religious boy.  He grew up in a loving family with his parents and three sisters.  Elie grew up during the deportation of Jews to the concentration camps in Auschwitz.  Elie and his family were moved to Birkensau, the reception center for Auschwitz.  Upon the arrival they immediately smell the burning of flesh and a ditch where babies are thrown into burning flames.  Elie is immediately separated from his mother and sisters; however, he and his father manage stay together for one year.   Elie and his father endured many horrific beatings.  One last impression for Elie was when he witnessed the hanging of a boy who struggled for thirty mins.  He also sees a boy kill his father over a piece of bread. Shortly after, he experiences the death of his own father due to poor health being over worked.

 Although, Elie had characteristic of a typical 13 year old boy; however, the traumatic experiences of the holocaust created emotional distresses not normal of a 13 year old boy.  He was traumatized by abuse, abandonment and witnessed many violent acts which stripped Elie of his childhood and innocents.

 B.) Question #1

What kind of boy was Elie in 1941? Would you say that he was a typical 13 year old? Explain.

 This is a great question because I do not think he was a typical boy at age 13 in 1941 and his unique qualities noted in the book are probably what got him through his time at the concentration camp 1944 to 1945.  

In the preface, he describes himself as weak and rather shy which probably describes a lot of boys at that time but he was very different.  Elie acknowledges that at almost 13, he was deeply observant (pg. 3) which probably helped him later on pass as an 18 year old when he was only 15. I know he was sensitive because he also describes running to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the temple (pg. 3) but I think that is the one part of him that changed while in the concentration camp.  He was wise and disciplined beyond his years. When he asked his father if he could find him a master to guide him in studies of Kabbalah, his father explained that he was too young for that (pg. 4).  That discipline is probably what helped him control his anger when he felt it rising in Auschwitz (pg. 33) and helped him to not react when Idek attacked his father (pg 54). 

At 13, I think he was more devoted to his studies, the Talmud during the day and Kabbalah at night (pg 8), than a typical boy that age. I think his extremely strong faith is the most important element that helped him survive.