Question

What causes the soup to taste like corpses?

1. The hanging of the pipel.
2. The beheading of the pipel.
3. The dismemberment of the block leader.
4. The hanging of Elie's father.

Answer 1

The soup tasting like corpses is a symbolic representation of the extreme conditions, where the omnipresence of death during historical sieges or events like the Holocaust could affect all aspects of life, even the taste of food.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question appears to be referencing the horrific conditions described in historical accounts of the siege during the Tartar army attack and the Holocaust. The soup tasting 'like corpses' could signify a deeply traumatic experience where the scent or presence of death is so pervasive that it impacts the taste of food. In the historical texts, this graphic sensation can be tied to psychological experiences during the Warsaw Ghetto of the Holocaust, where corpses on the streets were commonplace. Similarly, during the siege by the Tartar army, corpses were used as bio-weapons, poisoning the air and water, making the environment and potentially the food, in this case, soup, have a reminder of death.