Night By Elie WieselThe Nazis caused more destruction than just killing innocent Jews, they destroyed their peace, God, and humanity. Elie Wiesel’s Night, illustrates that by telling his experience in the concentration camps. Elie begins to question his strong feelings for God. He is left only with is memory of having privacy and peace as he did in Sighet. Elie loses his respect of being treated as a human rather than an animal. The experience of Night is fatal to Elie as it destroys his peace, his God, and his humanity.
Elie’s faith for God weakens more and more. In the beginning, Elie’s love for the Lord is very powerful. ?During the day, I studied Talmud, and at night, I run to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the temple. (1)? Elie practices Judaism every day by going to the synagogue where he prays. Elie first sees the crematories and the ditches that were deaths to so many Jews. ?For the first time, I felt revolt rise up in me. Why should I bless his name? The eternal, Lord of the Universe, the All-powerful and Terrible was silent. What had I to thank him for? (31)? Elie is unsure about God and what he is doing to them. Elie is finally convinced that God has given up on him. ?I felt very strong. I was the accuser, God the accused. My eyes were open and terribly alone in the world without God and without man. (65)? Elie no longer relies on God. He is on his own. By the end of the book, Elie’s faith for God has been so watered down, and it will take him a long time to regain that faith.
In the beginning of the book, Elie and his family lived undisturbed and very peacefully. ?A wind of calmness and reassurance blew through our houses. (7)? Elie and his family had their own personal space and just went with the flow. When Elie arrives at the camps, he soon realizes that it won’t be like at home at all. ?Even if you were simply passing from one to the other, several times a day, you still had to go through the baths every time. (38)? Elie knew he would no longer have any privacy and peace as he is used to. Near the end of the book, Elie witnesses a boy name Juliek who had brought his violin with him because he loved playing so much. ?When I awake, in the daylight, I could see Juliek, opposite me, slumped over, dead, near him lay his violin, smashed, trampled, a strange overwhelming little corpse. (47)? Elie is only left with the memory of happiness of his life in Sighet and his peace has been completely destroyed. Elie’s lifestyle has a very drastic change from when he was living in Sighet to when he was at the death camps.
Elie and his family celebrate the Jewish holiday, Passover. ?We drank, we ate, we sang. The bible bade us rejoice during the seven days of the feast to be happy. (8)? He is able to honor this Jewish holiday like any other normal holiday as he always does for Jewish tradition. When they arrive at the concentration camp, Elie begins to realize that he will no longer be treated as he is at home. ?Strip! Fast! Los! Keep only your belts and shoes in your hand?(32)? When the Nazis tell him to do something, then it’d to be done even if it violates his humanity. The Nazi’s not only handles the Jews dead bodies like animals, but also the other prisoners don’t think much of the dead bodies either. ?’Throw out all the dead! All corpses outside!’ The living rejoiced because there was more room.? As the Jews die, they are thrown out of the train like they are logs. Not only did the Nazis take Elie’s humanity away, but also Elie take the humanity away from the other prisoners.
The concentration camps affected everybody in every way, not just death. The Nazi’s stripped all of the Jews of humanity. The experience of Night is fatal to Elie as it destroys his peace, his God, and his humanity.
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