It illustrates the horrendous crimes of the Nazis. In their "Final Solution" they succeeded in destroying the Jews- not only those who were massacred, but also those who survived. Elie Wiesel is unable to recognize the shell that stares back at him in the mirror. Although he has physically survived the Holocaust, Elie has also been killed. He will never be able to forget all of the pain and agony that he has both suffered and seen. Through his systematic dehumanization and destruction, he has lost so much - his innocence, his belief, his family. These experiences have turned him into a different person, and the corpse in the mirror is a testament as to what he has endured. Similarly, the image of the desert is barren- a wasteland. The climate has permanently destroyed the land.
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However, this excerpt, in all its gloom, also illustrates hope. Although his body is dead, Elie reveals his separation from the reflection. He describes it almost as the reflection of another person. Despite the horrors that he has had to endure and all that he has lost, he has retained his sense of self, and therefore does not relate to his reflection. The desert image also represents this. Behind the bleak landscape, the sun rises, a symbol of hope. Plants have managed to grow in the seemingly barren ground. The empty land has given way to new hope. Although the image in the mirror is evidence of his terrible past, Elie will be able to survive.
