Night, by Elie Wiesel
Night, By Elie Wiesel is a devastatingly true story about one man's witness to the genocide of his own people. Living through the horrifying experiences in the German concentration camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald, Elie sees his family, friends and fellow Jews starved, degraded, and murdered. In this essay I will address three important topics expressed throughout the course of the book. First, I will discuss the struggle and eventual loss of religious faith by Elie in his battle to maintain humanity in this de-humanizing environment, and what ultimately enabled him to survive. Second, I will show the established relationship between Elie and his father, and the impact life in the camp had upon it. And finally, give my personal opinion on why Elie Wiesel wrote this book. One of the main topics in this book is how Elie, a boy of strong religious faith, as well as many Jews lose their faith in God because of the atrocities that take place in the concentration camps. Elie Wiesel lived his early childhood in the town of Transylvania, in Hungary, during the early 1940's. At a young age Elie took a strong interest in Jewish religion as he spent most of his time studying the Talmud. Eventually he comes across Moshe t
After witnessing the horror of the first night at the camp and the separation of his family and families of others, the bond between Elie and his father seems to grow stronger. Because of his old age, Elie's father is constantly struggling with the militant style of camp life. When he is beaten for not being able to march properly in rank, Elie spends time inside the blocks teaching him how to properly march in place. Unlike many of the other Jews who criticize Elie, he does not abandon his father to fend for himself. Instead he is constantly by his father's side looking out for him and doing what he can to keep his father out of trouble. When Elie arrives at Birkenau, the reader sees the first evidence of his loss of faith as he questions God during the selection process. Amid the selection many Jews are separated from their loved ones who are immediately sent to the crematory or burned in large fire pits. Although unaware to him at the time, this is the last Elie will ever see of his mother and sister. For this reason, many Jews are grieving and begin to recite the Kaddish, a Jewish prayer for the dead. Here Elie questions, " Why should I bless his name? The Eternal, Lord of the Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for?"(31) Shortly after, as he marches toward the barracks, Elie witnesses a load of children being dumped into a pit of flames which he labels the "Angel of Death". At this point the reader sees the diminishing effects the first night of camp life is already having on Elie as he vows, "Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever... Never shall I forget these moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust....Never."(32) he Beadle, who would take him under his wing and instruct him more in depth of the ways of the Talmud and cabbala. Through Moshe's instruction, he is taught to question God for answers. Later Moshe is sent away to a camp and upon his return to Sighet presents the reader with a foresh
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Approximate Word count = 1370
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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