In the above lines, “spring” and “daisies” are symbols of youth. “Brown and barren” are symbols of transition from youth to old age. Moreover, “Bitter autumn” symbolizes death.
Throughout the horrors of his captivity, Wiesel states that he needed to be strong for his father. He needed to survive for his father. After his father's death, he no longer feels as though he has anything to live for. It can be assumed that he no longer paid attention to the world around him. His lack of detail about that is due to the fact that he no longer cared about what was going on.
Jim Crow laws were a collection of state and local statutes that legalized racial segregation.
Jim Crow laws were based on the theory of white supremacy and were a reaction to Reconstruction. In the depression-racked 1890s, racism appealed to whites who feared losing their jobs to blacks.
