The Theme Of Hope In Night, By Elie Wiesel
“Hope is mankind’s greatest weakness and greatest strength.” -Unknown Empires can be created, revolutions can begin, all because of a string of hope. Without this emotion, many historical events would not have occurred, such as the Holocaust, one of the most infamous genocides in history. In the book Night, by Elie Wiesel, he writes about the Holocaust and his time in several concentration camps with his father. Hope plays an important part in this story; it became the catalyst of the Holocaust, protected Jewish victims of genocide, and eventually caused the end of WWII.
During World War I, Germany suffered heavy losses. Forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles, they ceded 10% of their territory, and had to pay heavy reparations. As Hitler …show more content…
The few days we lived here went by pleasantly enough, in peace.” The victims of the holocaust relied on positive ideas, to fill their souls with hope. As hope is necessary for one to even get out of bed, much hope would be needed for the terrible conditions of the concentration camps. Another example where a victim of the Holocaust showed a powerful desire for a better future is shown later in the story. After Elie was beaten by the Meister, a Jewess, passing off as a forced labor deportee, consoled him. “ ‘Bite your lip brother… don’t cry. Keep your anger and hatred for another day, for later on. The day will come, but not now… wait. Grit your teeth and wait…” She clung to her desire to survive, and taught Elie to do so as well. While many victims of the Holocaust had hope similar to hers, others had different reasons for living. One such person is a relative of Elie’s, Stein. Stein and his family lived in Antwerp before he was transported to Auschwitz. He then met Elie and Elie’s father in Auschwitz. With hope singing in his eyes, he informed Elie, “ ‘The only thing that keeps me alive... is that Reizel and the children are still alive. If It weren't for them, I couldn’t keep going.” All of these mentioned victims had hope for a better future, or a reunion with their family. Either way, that hope kept them alive, at least for a short
During World War I, Germany suffered heavy losses. Forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles, they ceded 10% of their territory, and had to pay heavy reparations. As Hitler …show more content…
The few days we lived here went by pleasantly enough, in peace.” The victims of the holocaust relied on positive ideas, to fill their souls with hope. As hope is necessary for one to even get out of bed, much hope would be needed for the terrible conditions of the concentration camps. Another example where a victim of the Holocaust showed a powerful desire for a better future is shown later in the story. After Elie was beaten by the Meister, a Jewess, passing off as a forced labor deportee, consoled him. “ ‘Bite your lip brother… don’t cry. Keep your anger and hatred for another day, for later on. The day will come, but not now… wait. Grit your teeth and wait…” She clung to her desire to survive, and taught Elie to do so as well. While many victims of the Holocaust had hope similar to hers, others had different reasons for living. One such person is a relative of Elie’s, Stein. Stein and his family lived in Antwerp before he was transported to Auschwitz. He then met Elie and Elie’s father in Auschwitz. With hope singing in his eyes, he informed Elie, “ ‘The only thing that keeps me alive... is that Reizel and the children are still alive. If It weren't for them, I couldn’t keep going.” All of these mentioned victims had hope for a better future, or a reunion with their family. Either way, that hope kept them alive, at least for a short