He Ain’t Heavy

#32, Auschwitz Album Revisited

Oil Painting by Dr. Pat Mercer Hutchens

This obviously much older woman is carrying her grandson, a handsome young child with a beautiful camel hair coat, emblazoned with a yellow star so all would know he is Jewish. Any young mother knows how hard it is to bear the weight of a big strong toddler. However, here the older woman appears to be holding him up without any strain. No doubt, she is helping his mother, perhaps her own daughter, or maybe even a granddaughter. Or the child’s mother may have been selected “fit to work,” while Granny and the toddler were sent to the “not fit for work” line and death If asked to help carry him, she would reply, “It’s okay. He ain’t heavy. He’s my grandson.”