Chapter Summary from Elie Wiesel's Night
Summary: Chapter 3
Arriving at Birkenau, every Jew must leave their belonging, along with their optimistic illusions, behind in the wagon as they move forward to be admitted in the concentration camp. An SS officer instructs the men to go to the left and women to the right. Although he does not know it at the moment, this is the last time Eliezer will ever see his mother and youngest sister Tzipora. All Eliezer can think of now is to not lose his father. Already some Jews are being beaten and shot. Eliezer and his father are asked by one of the prisoners about their ages. On hearing that Eliezer is fifteen and his father fifty, the inmate tells them they should be eighteen and forty. Age can mean the difference between life and death. Another prisoner tells them they would have been better off hanging themselves than to go there. Had not they heard of Auschwitz in 1944? The new prisoners had to admit that no, they had not heard about Auschwitz. The prisoner points to the smokestacks and asks if they know what is being burned there. Basically, he says: that is where you are going to die (in more words and some curses). Hearing this, some of the younger Jews begin to consider rebelling, but the older men advise them to not rely on rebellion, but on faith, and they proceed to the selection. This is where prisoners are being questioned by Dr. Mengele and divided into two groups: one group, presumably, is going to be working; the other group will head straight to the crematorium. When Eliezer is questioned, he lies and says he is eighteen and a farmer, rather than fifteen and a student. He is sent to the left where his father, too, is directed. They do not know which side is the better one, but Eliezer is happy to be by his father’s side. Near them, there is a pit of fire into which babies are being dumped. Eliezer comments, as the narrator, “Is it any wonder that ever since, sleep tends to elude me?” It seems for a while that death is imminent. The male prisoners,
Arriving at Birkenau, every Jew must leave their belonging, along with their optimistic illusions, behind in the wagon as they move forward to be admitted in the concentration camp. An SS officer instructs the men to go to the left and women to the right. Although he does not know it at the moment, this is the last time Eliezer will ever see his mother and youngest sister Tzipora. All Eliezer can think of now is to not lose his father. Already some Jews are being beaten and shot. Eliezer and his father are asked by one of the prisoners about their ages. On hearing that Eliezer is fifteen and his father fifty, the inmate tells them they should be eighteen and forty. Age can mean the difference between life and death. Another prisoner tells them they would have been better off hanging themselves than to go there. Had not they heard of Auschwitz in 1944? The new prisoners had to admit that no, they had not heard about Auschwitz. The prisoner points to the smokestacks and asks if they know what is being burned there. Basically, he says: that is where you are going to die (in more words and some curses). Hearing this, some of the younger Jews begin to consider rebelling, but the older men advise them to not rely on rebellion, but on faith, and they proceed to the selection. This is where prisoners are being questioned by Dr. Mengele and divided into two groups: one group, presumably, is going to be working; the other group will head straight to the crematorium. When Eliezer is questioned, he lies and says he is eighteen and a farmer, rather than fifteen and a student. He is sent to the left where his father, too, is directed. They do not know which side is the better one, but Eliezer is happy to be by his father’s side. Near them, there is a pit of fire into which babies are being dumped. Eliezer comments, as the narrator, “Is it any wonder that ever since, sleep tends to elude me?” It seems for a while that death is imminent. The male prisoners,