n in the society around them, but now in the ghettos, this is not conceivable. Alternatively, better the past could be a romanticized vision of their past as something more than what it really was, because it seems so much nicer than their current, deplorable, situation. This idea of time drags itself out more so for the Jews because it is filled with excessive brutality and hatred, making their lives seem endlessly doomed yet drawn out slowly, like they are crawling rather than walking. This too, only aids in further frustration, as the reality of their situation becomes more evident. Dark, intensified by time, and fueled by frustration, allows these factors to combine, along with ones past, towards the possibilities of survival, portraying the next fight in their long journey of healing for the Jews. Sutzkevers poem leaves the reader with a sense of dread for the Jewish people, portraying their freedom as just an extension of their current predicament (in the ghettos and camps). Their lives might be allowed to go on, but their future is unknown, so they are only plagued by their pasts. As examined earlier, the Jews perception of their past prior to the Holocaust was bright in comparison to their current state. But soon the Holocaust will be their past, which can only help mold their futures. Since they are unable, and unwilling, to forget their persecution, their mentality is stuck in between the past and the future, leaving them nowhere to go, and giving them a greater sense of frustration. This is, again, reflected through stagnant qualities of the buried city, keeping them intact in one spot: the middle. Since their progress is slow-moving and hidden, like the mole burrowing deep below, they fear there will be little advancement not only in their mentality, but also concerning their culture as a whole. This unwillingness, though, is intentional, because they cannot forget their trials, and learn from their impending triu...
