Juliek's "last concert" happens just after the prisoners
are forced to physically run from Buna to Gliewitz in the snow. This is an example of
one of the many "death marches" that took place during the Holocaust. Most prisoners
did not survive the march. Those who did, end up in a heap, piling on top of one
another for a chance at shelter and possible
warmth.
Eliezer, from the pile of men, though he can hardly
breathe, notices he is right on top of Juliek, who befriended him earlier in the story.
He discovers his father is also nearby. Eventually he makes his way out of the pile of
bodies and the next thing he remembers is hearing the sound of Juliek's violin. He
falls asleep to this music and when he awakes, Juliek is dead and the violin is
smashed.
The significance of this final song could lie in
the fact that it was almost a funereal song for the many men who had died and would die
that very night, including the musician. It was an ironic and rare moment of beauty and
hope in what was otherwise a very desperate and hopeless night. The fact that it sticks
out in the narrator's memory also adds to its significance. Consider all the nameless
prisoners who Eliezer sees every day. Juliek received a name, and attached to this name
was a violin. Obviously something about his playing changed the prisoners' lives for
the better. Perhaps Juliek was even a hero for playing music even as he was
dying.
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