Elie Wiesel Character Analysis
Silence: Shaping Eliezer’s Character
“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation…” said Eliezer Wiesel, the author of Night. Throughout the course of this book, Elie goes through many tragedies that change and shape his character. In Night, Eliezer Wiesel is a teenager who is swept away from his life, home, and possessions to go to a deadly concentration camp called Auschwitz. While in this camp, he witnesses the horrors of the Holocaust, including death, hunger, torture, beatings, and execution. There were several thematic ideas in this book, one being silence. It was interesting to see Elie’s character change throughout this book relating to silence. Ultimately, Elie’s views of the world, actions, and …show more content…
First of all, to please my father who had forbidden me to do so. And then, there was no reason for me to fast. I no longer accepted God’s silence. As I swallowed my ration of soup, I turned that act into a symbol of rebellion, of protest against Him. (p. 69)
This shows a great change in how Eliezer thinks. He no longer thinks God is good. He no longer accepts God’s silence. This also leads to a change in action. Before the Holocaust, Eliezer would’ve fasted. Now, he won’t. This is because of his experiences and God’s silence.
Ultimately, Eliezer had different views on the world, acted differently, and thought differently before the Holocaust. He clearly changed because of the things he went through and the silence in those events. His views on the people in the world changed, his mental and physical weakness changed how he reacted to different situations, and the horrors he had seen and the things he went through changed how he thought about God, faith, and religion. Elie is a perfect example of a character who is drastically changed by tragedy. You can learn from this book about the specific ways tragedy can shape a person’s character spiritually, mentally, and
“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation…” said Eliezer Wiesel, the author of Night. Throughout the course of this book, Elie goes through many tragedies that change and shape his character. In Night, Eliezer Wiesel is a teenager who is swept away from his life, home, and possessions to go to a deadly concentration camp called Auschwitz. While in this camp, he witnesses the horrors of the Holocaust, including death, hunger, torture, beatings, and execution. There were several thematic ideas in this book, one being silence. It was interesting to see Elie’s character change throughout this book relating to silence. Ultimately, Elie’s views of the world, actions, and …show more content…
First of all, to please my father who had forbidden me to do so. And then, there was no reason for me to fast. I no longer accepted God’s silence. As I swallowed my ration of soup, I turned that act into a symbol of rebellion, of protest against Him. (p. 69)
This shows a great change in how Eliezer thinks. He no longer thinks God is good. He no longer accepts God’s silence. This also leads to a change in action. Before the Holocaust, Eliezer would’ve fasted. Now, he won’t. This is because of his experiences and God’s silence.
Ultimately, Eliezer had different views on the world, acted differently, and thought differently before the Holocaust. He clearly changed because of the things he went through and the silence in those events. His views on the people in the world changed, his mental and physical weakness changed how he reacted to different situations, and the horrors he had seen and the things he went through changed how he thought about God, faith, and religion. Elie is a perfect example of a character who is drastically changed by tragedy. You can learn from this book about the specific ways tragedy can shape a person’s character spiritually, mentally, and