Nazi Concentration Camps In Elie Wiesel's Night
In the novel Night, author Elie Wiesel describes his time being exposed to the extremely brutal conditions of the Nazi concentration camps. Most, if not all European Jews were forced into these labor camps where the prisoners had to work in order to stay alive. Upon arrival, people were split into two categories, one of which was given the opportunity to live, while the other was not as lucky. This chance was “granted” to those who showed an ability to work with ease, but for those who showed signs of weakness; they were sent to the gas chambers and crematories. Although somewhat blessed with the opportunity of life, they were treated so horrifically that death would have been the blessing; even while death enticed more suffering than need
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“There were dozens of prisoners to receive us, truncheons in their hands, striking out anywhere, at anyone without reason”(43). They were told what to do, and if an order was not followed, physical punishment was the only answer given by the SS soldiers; much like the way one would treat a dog. And much like dogs they did everything they were told to, not out of love or respect, but out of fear of physical punishment. They were treated so poorly that the SS officers themselves no longer thought of the Jews as people, but filthy animals that the world did not need. The soldiers were relentless in they way that they treated the Jews, especially when they ,“[Had their] fingers on the triggers, they did not deprive themselves of this pleasure. If one of us stopped for a second, a sharp shot finished off another…”(91). The treatment had worsened so much, that simply the slowing of a pace was reason to immediately kill whoever it was. They followed these orders like an animal would listen to his master’s every wish. Based upon this description of the SS soldiers’ attitudes towards the Jews, we can assume they honestly thought of each and every prisoner as an animal, with no conscience, which is why they were able to treat them with no empathy or compassion. They treated their prisoners with a hateful vengeance which had no
“There were dozens of prisoners to receive us, truncheons in their hands, striking out anywhere, at anyone without reason”(43). They were told what to do, and if an order was not followed, physical punishment was the only answer given by the SS soldiers; much like the way one would treat a dog. And much like dogs they did everything they were told to, not out of love or respect, but out of fear of physical punishment. They were treated so poorly that the SS officers themselves no longer thought of the Jews as people, but filthy animals that the world did not need. The soldiers were relentless in they way that they treated the Jews, especially when they ,“[Had their] fingers on the triggers, they did not deprive themselves of this pleasure. If one of us stopped for a second, a sharp shot finished off another…”(91). The treatment had worsened so much, that simply the slowing of a pace was reason to immediately kill whoever it was. They followed these orders like an animal would listen to his master’s every wish. Based upon this description of the SS soldiers’ attitudes towards the Jews, we can assume they honestly thought of each and every prisoner as an animal, with no conscience, which is why they were able to treat them with no empathy or compassion. They treated their prisoners with a hateful vengeance which had no