Elie's father protects him and sacrifices his share of rations in the beginning of the novel in order to keep up Elie's strength. As physical strain, the cold, and illness wreaks havoc with Elie's father, Elie steps up and takes the more protective role. He arranges things with deals and trades in order to stay in his father's work group and to be near him. Elie shares his rations with his weakening father.
Although it is clear that Elie is becoming less and less "human" through his suffering...going so far as to outrun his father in one of the group's movements and hoping not to find him when his guilt spurs him to half-heartedly go looking...he never completely forsakes his father and the link between them as father and son. He regularly visits the window at the hospital to speak with his father until the day that Elie is told his father was taken that day. Even when his father dies, Elie is not without emotion although the situation does not allow him to grieve properly.
Without a doubt, Elie is forced to grow up much faster than he would have in a normal childhood situation. His is similar to children whose parents are chronically ill, disabled, or who succumb to illegal substances and are unable to care for themselves...they are all robbed of their ability to be "kids" and moved into "caregiver".
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