What does gauze symbolize in the poem "Tattoo" by Gregg Shapiro?

I think the gauze would refer as protection and comfort. The narrator wanted to trade places with his father who had protected him throughout the holocaust. Throughout the poem, he knew his father was hurting. But his father chose to protect him from the soldiers. The gauze represents protection because he wants to take his father’s place and comfort him from the pain.

The answer is a / / safety