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The Allegory Of The Holocaust: Being A Neutral Bystander

850 Words4 Pages

The Holocaust lasted for four years, a mass genocide executed by Nazi Germany, with the goal to eradicate all Jews. Six million Jews were successfully murdered, and hardly anyone lifted a finger to help the thousands killed daily. Elie Wiesel was right in saying that 'Being a neutral bystander helps those who are evil; that remaining silent encourages even more evil to happen '. This is true, since evil always comes back and causes so many people so much pain.

Firstly, when people do not stand up for each other, they allow evil to return time and time again. Many people allowed the Nazis to continually deport the Jews and other non-Jews on the target list, and the Nazis always came back for more. Terrible Things is an allegory of the Holocaust, and as the rabbits are being taken, they cry, " 'Somebody help! ' But there was no one left to help" (Bunting, 24). Throughout the allegory, the forest creatures are being taken one by one by the Terrible Things, despite all warnings and opportunities to escape. Soon only the rabbits remain, and when they too are taken, there is no one left to hear their cries, let alone help them. Martin Niemöller wrote a poem called 'First They Came ' with a similar meaning to Terrible Things. His poem says, "First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Communist... And then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me"

(Niemöller, 1-3, 14-16). Niemöller did not speak out nor help the ones

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