Luck

There are many places in this story where luck has been a key factor. This doesn't only mean good luck, though. Looking at the story as a whole, it was very bad luck for anyone to have been through this in the first place. But while going through the camps, some were granted some lucky selection. "'You are lucky, little fellow,' said Hans, smiling. 'You fell into a good Kommando...'" (Wiesel 50). Elizer also tried pushing his luck by pretending to be sick (Wiesel 52). In this part, he used it to keep his gold crown, but was eventually required to remove it.

Along with some good luck, he also found some bad luck. In the middle of January, his foot swelled up and surgery was needed or he would lose it (Wiesel 78). Despite the surgery, he was treated much better than the rest. There were also times where him and his dad would be separated, but he was mostly lucky enough to pull him through until the end (Wiesel 96, 99, 105). Many inmates weren't as lucky as Elizer in these events. Many died every day from lack of food and others gave up because of the conditions. If only everyone survived through this event; if only they were as lucky as Elizer.