Instructor Kathryn Hudson
English 350/355
10 October 2014
Night by Elie Wiesel Elie uses “night” to describe time in his life that is measured by darkness and shadows. The death of his family, the loss of faith in God, and the belief that his days in the camps will never end are all the times Elie is in his own personal night, a time when he is so consumed by the gloom he has no reason to live. Night also refers to the Holocaust as a whole. A large in blot in world history, the Holocaust is a time many people even deny. It is only through accounts such as Night that we can fully obtain knowledge and perception of this horrific event. Eliezer Wiesel loses his faith through experiences with God, family and humanity.
He struggles physically and mentally for life and no longer believes there is a God. "Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my god and my soul and turned my dreams to dust..."(Wiesel 32). Elie worked hard to save himself and asks God many times to help him and take him out of his misery. "Why should I bless his name? The eternal, lord of the universe, the all-powerful and terrible was silent..."(Wiesel 31). Eliezer is confused, because he does not know why the Germans would kill his faith, and does not know why god could let such a thing happen. "I did not deny god's existence, but I doubted his absolute justice..."(Wiesel 42). These conditions gave him confidence, and courage to live.
Eliezer loses faith within his family due to his experiences. He and his mother and sister were parted at the camp and he has no hope to see them ever again. "Men to the left! Women to the right..."(Wiesel 27). His father is getting old, and weak, and Elie realizes his father does not have the strength to survive on his own, and it is too late to save him. "It's too late to save your old father, I said to myself..."(Wiesel 105). He felt guilty because he could not help his father, but he knew the only way to live was to watch out for himself. "Here, every man has to fight for himself and not think of anyone else. Even of his father..."(pg 105).
Eliezer loses hope, trust, and his beliefs. He begins to rely on himself because he knew that only he can help himself and he could not depend on anyone else. "Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever..."(Wiesel 32). Elie's father was struck, and that was when he realized he was afraid of death, and he felt guilty because he did not help his father. "I did not move. What had happened to me? My father had just been struck, before my very eyes, and I had not flickered an eyelid..."(Wiesel 37). He lost his father, and he felt so empty, and no longer believes he can live alone, and he has nothing to live for. "My mind was invaded suddenly by this realization there was no more reason to live, no more reason to struggle..."(Wiesel 93). He has no hope to live, and has no strength to survive.
Elie’s tale truly changed my life. A boy that was so heavily changed to the point in which he could not recognized himself in his reflection, seems almost unfathomable, yet Elie Wiesel tells his story. I enjoy this book because it makes you see the reality that you may not think it is possible for someone to take over like Hitler did but it is sure possible. I would also recommend this book to others even though it is a sad book. You will see how a young boy at the age of fifteen can over come and survive the holocaust that you can survive when your boyfriend or girlfriend breaks up with you. I learned even through the good and bad times, God is always there for you. If God wasn’t there for Elie, I personally wouldn’t think he would have survived and been able to write a book about what happened during the holocaust. I loved the ending of this book because throughout all the hardships they were set free from hell.
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