Rick Davidson Journal #4 The Sunflower
Eli is a young starving Jewish child that Simon often seen within the Ghetto. Eli has amazing sixth senses about danger and good luck to boot. Eli became a ray of hope to Simon; after several attempts to gather the “useless mouths” the Germans still couldn’t capture all the Jewish children. Eli, for me, was the personification of persistence. He, just a child, lived without any help from the city’s residence. Of course the author relates his name to Elijah, the prophet. This comparison also bolsters the ideal of hope within a child.
Eli is also significant to the story pertaining to the story of the Nazi soldier. The soldier had taken part of a mass murdering of Jews. The Jews were trapped within a burning house; any Jew who dared exit the house was shot. In the midst of the horror, the soldier saw a family: Mother, Father and Child. They threw themselves to their death to escape the horror of burning alive. The eyes of the soldier met with that of the child and this is what haunts him. Simon while hearing the grisly details replaced the child with Eli. This creates two things for the reader; one element is the closeness of Eli and Simon and the other is the symbolism of Eli.
The closeness of the two characters, Simon and Eli, create a more dramatic effect on the reader. The reader will feel more sorrow for a child linked to Simon, no matter how vaguely, than just a Jewish child. The Author uses Simon’s memories to create the character Eli so the reader will bond to the character. Characters without backgrounds are simply characters used to show us something of a character through the interactions taking place. Since the Author chose to divulge the circumstances of Eli he becomes more of a believable person than a character.
Also symbolic of Eli is the revelation he is a metaphor or personification for the Jewish people. The Nazis have tried over and over again to rid themselves of the Jewish people; they have tried regulations, deceit and brutality yet the Jewish presence remain. The fact Eli is a child only deepens the metaphor. The Author chose to create Eli. It is widely believed (as our discussions in class proved) children are associated with innocence, honesty, and pureness. The author wanted to show how low the Germans have bought the innocence of Eli. The Germans consider the Jewish children as an infestation, a waste of needed resources. Poor Eli resort to eating crumbs left for the birds because within the German influence the townspeople fear or resent helping him in this condition.
More symbolism I found moving was the German soldier laid lower than a Jew (physically). The soldier within the story was unmanned. I loved the passage, “And for the first time I realized then I, a defenseless subhuman, had contrived to lighten the lot of an equally defenseless superman”. The soldier was faceless yet his background was very commonplace. I took the meaning of this unmanned soldier to represent the German army. Faceless hordes of the “German Soldier” marched past Hitler saluting within my mind. By unmanning one “average” soldier the author created a stereotypical soldier. I believe the author’s main point was not the soldier’s plea for forgiveness but the forgiveness of all the stereotypical soldiers. The soldier was absolutely sincere in his repent. Proof is how the thoughts caused him physical pain beyond his current condition. Also Simon stated that he believed the soldier; once the author lets the character believe something it creates a sense of truthfulness for the reader
You could also make the same argument for Simon.
So I guess I am saying the whole story is for the Jews forgiveness of the German Soldiers sincere repentance.