Elie and his father are transferred to another camp, Buna. They were lucky to be in this camp since it wasn't as harsh as all of the others. His job here was in a factory, which involved hardly any physical endurance. Though many times when his Kapo, Idek, had mood swings he would hit him hard. One time Idek started hitting Elie, he wouldn't stop. At the end his whole face was swollen up and hit lip wouldnt stop bleeding. He was so angry but his work neighbor, a french girl, told him "'Bite your lip, little brother....Keep your anger and hatred for another day, for later on. The day will come, but not now....Wait. Grit your teeth and wait....'" Chapter 4, pg. 51 I think the girl did good in telling him this because Elie might have done something out of spite, which would later cost him his death.
One of the most shocking parts of this chapter was when he received whips. He was punished for just seeing his Kapo having intimate relations with a girl. Something so worthless came with severe punishment. But when Elie was being whipped all he could think was "I was thinking of my father. He must have suffered more than I did." Chapter 4, pg. 56 Being a parent and having to see someone punish your son so harshly must be hard. But having to see it and do nothing about it. That must have caused his father more pain.
Another impacting part of this chapter was when the little kid was hung. He was hung for keeping a secret. if he had died quickly, then the story wouldn't have had such a big impact. But he didn't he suffered for thirty minutes until he died. " For more than half an hour he stayed there, struggling between life and death, dying in slow agony under our eyes." Chapter 4, pg. 62
When I read this, I could understand why Elie had finished the chapter with "'Where is He? Here He is-He is hanging here on this gallows....'" Chapter 4, pg. 62. Asking where was God when this little, innocent child was suffering, not yet dead.
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