Night By Elie Wiesel Analysis
Will Smith once said, "Throughout life, people will make you mad, disrespect you, and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too." Will Smith proves hate is a bad feeling to have since hatred only leads to more hatred. In the memoir Night, Wiesel shares his story about his life in concentration camps, and how hard it was to obtain survival during World War II. Throughout the memoir, Wiesel develops hatred towards God for the genocide of Jews, and this hatred “consumes” his faith for God. Despite the fact that many may claim Eliezer's changing views of God did not affect his identity, Wiesel portrays how he begins to morph as his perspective of God changes throughout his journey from Sighet
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to Buchenwald. During Eliezer's time in Sighet, his opinions towards God shift considerably, which in turn change his identity. While Eliezer and Moishe were conversing, Eliezer asks, " ‘And why do you pray Moishe?' Moishe then replies, ‘ I pray to the God within me for the strength to ask him the real questions' " (Eliezer 5). Eliezer uncovers a new perspective of God when he befriends Moishe for religious guidance. This new perspective towards God helps Eliezer realize God is within him, and he just needs to ask the right questions, so he transforms since he is more analytical when studying the scriptures to find the real answers. In fact, Weisel says, "Together we would read, over and over again, the same page of the Zohar. Not to learn it by heart but to discover within the very essence of divinity" (Wiesel 5). While being transported to the Ghetto, Eliezer is battling with the summer heat as he views God differently. Eliezer says to himself, "Oh God, Master of Universe, in your infinite compassion, have mercy on us…" (Wiesel 20). Eliezer is begging God to give him mercy and not to punish him through the devious Gestapo. Eliezer's point of view contradicts to his old ways of studying the scripture because he is begging instead of analyzing. Eliezer's identity altered since with Moishe he was a religious scholar, but then he was a passionate devotee. Eliezer's identity changes as his views towards God change while he is spending time in the concentration camp, Auschwitz.
One event where Eliezer's view towards God changes is when Eliezer and his father arrive at the concentration camp. Eliezer overhears his father saying, "Yisgadal, veyishkadash, shmey raba… May His name be celebrated and sanctified… What was there to thank Him for?" (Weisel 33). Eliezer's views towards God change, so he is an angry prisoner of the Holocaust, with his anger directed towards God. The angrier Eliezer differs from the religious Eliezer who asks questions and gets mentorship from Moishe to gain true bliss. Furthermore, when describing the change in Eliezer, Wiesel uses symbolism to show his wavering view towards God. During the killing of the Dutchman's little servant, Wiesel says, "Behind me, I heard the same man asking: For God's sake… That night, the soup tasted of corpses" (Wiesel 65). While reminiscing, Eliezer shows his negative interpretation of the boy's killing. Wiesel lampoons God by saying God is hanging from a rope, just like the boy. Weisel says everyone loved the boy while the two men shout long live liberty. Also, the boy remains silent. Which is similar to God remaining silent as the genocide of Jews is developing in Europe. To elaborate, as Weisel sees God close to dead and silent, his identity changes since he has a more negative attitude towards life. When Eliezer is introduced to the new Holocaust system of Auschwitz, his view towards God changes tremendously. In the memoir, Wiesel states: “Little by little, we all sat down in the mud. But we had to get up… I thanked God, in an improvised prayer, for having created mud in His infinite and wondrous universe" (Wiesel 38). Eliezer reveals that he is thankful to God for letting him keep the material items he possessed back in Sighet. Weisel looks up to God like a true devotee, and thanks Him for everything he receives in life, even if it is a little thing like
shoes. Eliezer identifies himself as a small part of God's "infinite and wondrous" universe, so he changes from a "Jew of Sighet" to a part of God's universe as he is thankful to God. After his escape from the clutches of the Nazi party, Eliezer's identity transforms through his new perspective on God. Eliezer endured many tragic and inhumane events throughout his imprisonment under the Nazis, and they altered his life drastically. When Wiesel looks into a mirror for the first time after the Holocaust, he states,
"One day when I was able to get up, I decided to look at myself in the mirror on the opposite wall. I had not seen myself since the ghetto. From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me. The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me" (115).
Eliezer reminisces about how this was the first time he saw himself in a mirror since before the Holocaust, and he realizes just how much he has transformed. Eliezer has drastically changed, physically, since he describes himself as a corpse, but most importantly, his mental state has changed. Wiesel depicts his evolved identity as more different, for he has lost his older characteristics. Wiesel refers to himself as a "corpse" to depict how his physicality went from healthy to skinny, as if he has not eaten for years. However, the usage of "corpse" in the sentence also shows how the religious mindset of Eliezer is essentially "dead". As Eliezer experiences the despicable actions Nazis took to wipe out the Jewish race, the "living" state of Eliezer's religious personality starts to wear down and become weak, so he stops caring about his spiritual health. Altogether, Wiesel's view towards God changes throughout his experiences before, during, and after the Holocaust. In Night, Eliezer changes his feelings towards God from hate to devotion through his journey at Auschwitz. Eliezer develops hatred as the time he spends at the concentration camp becomes longer. Will Smith says "hatred will consume you", which is exactly what happened to Eliezer since his old identity completely transformed once he looked into the mirror, so his old faith was consumed. Moving forward, people should refrain from hate, since it devours one's personality and morphs one's identity.
to Buchenwald. During Eliezer's time in Sighet, his opinions towards God shift considerably, which in turn change his identity. While Eliezer and Moishe were conversing, Eliezer asks, " ‘And why do you pray Moishe?' Moishe then replies, ‘ I pray to the God within me for the strength to ask him the real questions' " (Eliezer 5). Eliezer uncovers a new perspective of God when he befriends Moishe for religious guidance. This new perspective towards God helps Eliezer realize God is within him, and he just needs to ask the right questions, so he transforms since he is more analytical when studying the scriptures to find the real answers. In fact, Weisel says, "Together we would read, over and over again, the same page of the Zohar. Not to learn it by heart but to discover within the very essence of divinity" (Wiesel 5). While being transported to the Ghetto, Eliezer is battling with the summer heat as he views God differently. Eliezer says to himself, "Oh God, Master of Universe, in your infinite compassion, have mercy on us…" (Wiesel 20). Eliezer is begging God to give him mercy and not to punish him through the devious Gestapo. Eliezer's point of view contradicts to his old ways of studying the scripture because he is begging instead of analyzing. Eliezer's identity altered since with Moishe he was a religious scholar, but then he was a passionate devotee. Eliezer's identity changes as his views towards God change while he is spending time in the concentration camp, Auschwitz.
One event where Eliezer's view towards God changes is when Eliezer and his father arrive at the concentration camp. Eliezer overhears his father saying, "Yisgadal, veyishkadash, shmey raba… May His name be celebrated and sanctified… What was there to thank Him for?" (Weisel 33). Eliezer's views towards God change, so he is an angry prisoner of the Holocaust, with his anger directed towards God. The angrier Eliezer differs from the religious Eliezer who asks questions and gets mentorship from Moishe to gain true bliss. Furthermore, when describing the change in Eliezer, Wiesel uses symbolism to show his wavering view towards God. During the killing of the Dutchman's little servant, Wiesel says, "Behind me, I heard the same man asking: For God's sake… That night, the soup tasted of corpses" (Wiesel 65). While reminiscing, Eliezer shows his negative interpretation of the boy's killing. Wiesel lampoons God by saying God is hanging from a rope, just like the boy. Weisel says everyone loved the boy while the two men shout long live liberty. Also, the boy remains silent. Which is similar to God remaining silent as the genocide of Jews is developing in Europe. To elaborate, as Weisel sees God close to dead and silent, his identity changes since he has a more negative attitude towards life. When Eliezer is introduced to the new Holocaust system of Auschwitz, his view towards God changes tremendously. In the memoir, Wiesel states: “Little by little, we all sat down in the mud. But we had to get up… I thanked God, in an improvised prayer, for having created mud in His infinite and wondrous universe" (Wiesel 38). Eliezer reveals that he is thankful to God for letting him keep the material items he possessed back in Sighet. Weisel looks up to God like a true devotee, and thanks Him for everything he receives in life, even if it is a little thing like
shoes. Eliezer identifies himself as a small part of God's "infinite and wondrous" universe, so he changes from a "Jew of Sighet" to a part of God's universe as he is thankful to God. After his escape from the clutches of the Nazi party, Eliezer's identity transforms through his new perspective on God. Eliezer endured many tragic and inhumane events throughout his imprisonment under the Nazis, and they altered his life drastically. When Wiesel looks into a mirror for the first time after the Holocaust, he states,
"One day when I was able to get up, I decided to look at myself in the mirror on the opposite wall. I had not seen myself since the ghetto. From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me. The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me" (115).
Eliezer reminisces about how this was the first time he saw himself in a mirror since before the Holocaust, and he realizes just how much he has transformed. Eliezer has drastically changed, physically, since he describes himself as a corpse, but most importantly, his mental state has changed. Wiesel depicts his evolved identity as more different, for he has lost his older characteristics. Wiesel refers to himself as a "corpse" to depict how his physicality went from healthy to skinny, as if he has not eaten for years. However, the usage of "corpse" in the sentence also shows how the religious mindset of Eliezer is essentially "dead". As Eliezer experiences the despicable actions Nazis took to wipe out the Jewish race, the "living" state of Eliezer's religious personality starts to wear down and become weak, so he stops caring about his spiritual health. Altogether, Wiesel's view towards God changes throughout his experiences before, during, and after the Holocaust. In Night, Eliezer changes his feelings towards God from hate to devotion through his journey at Auschwitz. Eliezer develops hatred as the time he spends at the concentration camp becomes longer. Will Smith says "hatred will consume you", which is exactly what happened to Eliezer since his old identity completely transformed once he looked into the mirror, so his old faith was consumed. Moving forward, people should refrain from hate, since it devours one's personality and morphs one's identity.