Night By Elie Wiesel

Throughout the entirety of the book entitled Night, nighttime has played a changing role in Eliezer’s world. Shifting from good to bad to worse, the events and occurrences that happen during the night all change Eliezer in different ways. He went from being safe indoors at night to being in a dangerous and scary place that he was not accustomed to. The night also represents the unknown and fear in Eliezer‘s life as the book progresses. He does not know what to expect from his captors and he does not know what fate has planned for him. Before Eliezer and his family were taken from their homes, nighttime was a time for peace and tranquility as Eliezer spent his time reading religious texts of prayer as he was faithful and devout Jewish boy. During this time, night represented safety to pray, read, and sleep.

This is shown multiple times throughout the first chapter as Eliezer feels safe enough to go out to the Jewish temple at night and pray to his deity. Things change soon after the Nazis bring Eliezer and his family to the concentration camp and the safety and comfort are stripped away with all of his religious beliefs and faith. Eliezer’s lack of previous safety begins to make him think that God would not let this happen to people such as himself who were so faithful and did as they were told as well as pray. This change effects Eliezer to the point where he decided that he no longer believes in god. After Eliezer was pulled away from the safety and comfort of his home, he began to realize that since all of this had been happening so fast for him that he was starting to think that this was all just one endless night that would keep on going.

This represents the harshness of the Nazi’s power as they managed to take control of his life to the point of him not even knowing what day it is The brutality of the German forces overwhelmed and broke Eliezer as he had his humanity stripped away and was a mere husk of the boy he used to be before the Nazis. Throughout his story, the night and the unknown things that it can hold played a massive role on his storytelling as it was from his perspective although we know what would‘ve happened to him due to out knowledge of the Holocaust. Whatever Eliezer does not know and what frightens him mostly comes out during the night.

The unknown was unimaginable considering what he had already gone through as the story progressed. Many horrible things happened to Eliezer at nighttime that proves this such as when Eliezer was almost strangled to death by an unknown prisoner on the trek to Buchenwald at night towards the end of Eliezer’s story Night in the Holocaust was dark and full of unimaginable horrors that deeply effected Eliezer in a way that will stay with him for the rest of his life. The shifting role of night throughout the book showed that things in his world were getting scary and he could not control his fate. Stripped of his religion, safety, and even his own father, Eliezer withstood the torment of the Nazi’s and the unknown of the night.

Fire has been used as a source of warmth, comfort, and light since it was first discovered by man. Ironically, this same fire can be used as a weapon. Throughout history, mankind has used fire as a weapon; often for protection, but occasionally as a tool to slaughter and consume others. During World War II, fire is used by the Nazis to both kill prisoners and inspire fear. Fire is used to symbolize murder. power. and authority, yet it also symbolizes the candles of hope that are extinguished one by one each time the Red Army fails to save the prisoners. Without the fire motif. many of the events in mm would have no meaning. The murder of prisoners through crematoriums occurs often, and even occurs to little children. “Babies! Yes, I did see this, with my own eyes children thrown into the flames“.

The Nazis used fire to represent their power and authority. Fire makes many of the threats made by the Nazis more meaningful. In addition to this, fire is used to show absolute authority over the concentration camp prisoners. Additionally, the fire motif is used to represent the candles of hope owned by the prisoners, “The Red Army is advancing with giant strides. Hitler will not be able to harm us, even if he wants to.” The Russian army was often known as the Red Army, which is a color that often represents fire. Soon afterward, it is shown to be a false hope, as Hitler does harm the prisoners, and the Red Army does not come and extinguish the fires that are murdering the prisoners.

This same hope repeats itself twice more throughout the novel but never comes to fruition. The hopes are repeatedly extinguished by the Nazis. This can be related to an ironic menorah. Rather than the menorah being gradually lit, it is gradually extinguished. Furthermore, the menorah burned for eight days using only one day of oil. This could be related to the prolonged persecution of the Jews. From this, it is apparent that every event. No matter how unrelated it may seem is related to fire. The omnipresent fire motif is used to show the dangerous aspect of fire; Both literally, through murder, and figuratively. Through the extinguishment of hopes. but also adds an in-depth meaning to the events of Mm.

Elie Wiesel’s Night, although it is not officially a memoir, does seem like one. The story starts off with Eliezer, who we presume to be the author Elie Wiesel himself, trying to learn about the Jewish guides known as the Talmud. Wiesel tells an intriguing story similar to a memoir or an autobiography of his time surviving the concentration camps of the Nazi era as a Jew. Survival is the most pivotal theme to this novel, as Eliezer and his family face obstacles and challenges along the way to survive the Nazi concentration camps before finally being liberated by the American army. The purpose of this essay is to explore the ways in which Wiesel portrays the survival of the Jews during the Nazi era through the experiences of Eliezer and his family. Primarily, Eliezer learns that he must survive on his own and fight for himself, further contributing to the overall theme of survival in Night.

A Nazi party member tells Eliezer: “Listen to me, boy, Don’t forget that you’re in a concentration camp, Here, every man has to fight for himself and not think of anyone else. Even of his father. Here, there are no fathers, no brothers, no friends Everyone lives and dies for himself alone. I’ll give you some sound advice: don’t give your ration of bread and soup to your old fathert There’s nothing you can do for him. And you’re killing yourself. Instead, you ought to be having his rations.” (105) This came as a shock to Eliezer, who thought that he could help his father out by giving him bread. The inhumanity of the concentration camps demonstrates how survival becomes a key theme in the entire novel, regardless of who you have to kill, stab, or run overt.

The Nazi party member’s observation that there are no friends, brothers, nor fathers could not be more accurate to history and to the fictional realm of the novel. Wiesel ensures that the need and will to survive is a prominent theme in the text from the beginning, calling upon the fact that survival was truly pivotal in the real historical events during this time period. Wiesel sets up the theme of survival by depicting violent, instinctual reactions in a number of tough situations. On the train, Eliezer sees a man be beaten with bread by his own son in an immensely disturbing fashion. The father cries, “Meir, my little Meir! Don’t you recognize me You’re killing your father I have bread for you too for you too” (101). After crying to his son, he falls to a slow, painful death at the hand of his son.

The boy commits this heinous act as a result of starvation and his survival instincts. The scene is heartbreaking and disturbing on many levels. Wiesel demonstrates that people would go to any extent in order to survive during the Nazi reign, even if it involves abusing their own families. No one was immune to inhumane treatment, and anyone could be killed for any reason, which is accurately portrayed in the novel. Survival instincts and a ‘survival of the fittest‘ mentality crept into the minds, hearts, and souls of the Jews and Nazis involved in the Holocaust, and Wiesel does an excellent job of depicting this through fictional events.

The theme of survival during the Holocaust is further perpetuated in the novel through scenes expressing the painful emotional toll the ideal took on those involved. After being liberated by the American Army, Eliezer is transferred to a hospital. At the hospital, he decides to look at himself “in the mirror on the opposite wall,” and he is astonished at what he sees. Eliezer sees “a corpse [that is] contemplating [him],” and recalls “the look in his eyes as he gazed at me,” a look which “has never left. This scene is highly symbolic insofar as Eliezer’s understanding of the tenures he was subjected to, and the scars he has that will never fade.

He survives the hell of a Nazi concentration camp, and that the look in his own eyes after surviving is so powerful that he could not forget it if he tried, reminiscent of testimonials given post-war by true survivorsi. By including moments depicting the ongoing pain faced by Holocaust survivors, Wiesel effectively impacts readers and draws attention to the severity of the Nazi era. In conclusion, Night by Elie Wiesel is a moving, captivating, and well-written account of the Holocaust. Being the first novel that I have ever read on this topic, I felt enlightened and motivated to learn more about the event upon finishing the book. I also liked it because it was a suspenseful drama, though some scenes were too disturbing for my taste, Lastly, the book kept me awake at night if I read it before I went to sleep: another sign of the suspense, drama and horror of Night.

In the fascinating memoir Night by Elie Wiesel, he deals with the struggle of surviving, which was devastating since it was during the holocaust. In the memoir Night, Wiesel uses Symbolism, Simile, and Irony in order to illustrate the events during the holocaust. Wiesel’s use of Symbolism helped the reader understand the captivity of the Jews in the concentration camps. ”Father, I said “If that is true then I don’t want to wait.I’ll run into the electrified barbed wire. That would be easier than a slow death in the flames.

”(33). Wiesel uses his symbolism when he said “the electrified barbed wire. ” It’s being used to show the reader that this is how the atmosphere was during the holocaust. Elie Wiesel, in his autobiography Night, his use of Simile helps the reader to understand the brutal atmosphere of the German Police. There are 80 of you in the car, the German Officer added,” if any of you are missing, you will be shot like dogs. ”(24). He uses his simile language when the train (that the Jews were on) stopped and was guarded by two German police officers.

It’s being used to portray the atmosphere of the brutal officers of the Germans.In Elie Wiesel’s Night, Wiesel uses Irony in order to help the reader understand the atmosphere on the train which the Jews were on. “Fire! I see a fire! I see a fire! (24). Wiesel uses the Irony figurative language when the Jews were on the train to the concentration camps. It was being used to illustrate the savage atmosphere of humans being killed in a huge fire! So Wiesel’s use of Symbolism, Simile, and Irony were in fact helped the reader understand all the events that he wrote about during the holocaust. His point view of the holocaust was very graphic! Even though we never knew about this this is a very historical event on this planet.