Zalman is one of Elie's fellow inmates at Auschwitz. One night, the two men, along with other prisoners, are taken on a grueling forced march by the SS in the middle of a blizzard. It's hard enough to complete such a march at the best of times, but it's even worse when you're permanently hungry and riddled with disease. That's what's happened to Zalman. He's experiencing agonizing stomach pains and doesn't think he can go on. Elie desperately urges him on, knowing that if Zalman stops he'll be finished off by the Germans for sure. But Zalman has given up the ghost and squats to the ground in pain. He is then trampled to death by the other prisoners. It's a sign of just how terrified of the Germans the inmates are that they keep on marching without stopping, even though it causes the death of one of their own.
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