Night essay 2
Night essay 2The book Night, written by Elie Wiesel, is a fictional book based on one of the author’s horrifying life experiences. It is set during WW II at various concentration camps in and around Germany, from the end of the year 1941 to the beginning of 1945. Starting from the times people are forced out of their homes, their lives are changed drastically, both physically and emotionally. Their lives are not only changed for the time they stay at the camps. If they get out alive, they are changed forever. People lose all human emotions and become destroyed individuals. They become zombies and there is no turning back. This book tells the story of one Jewish prisoner, Elizer, and the dramatic changes in his views of his own life.
In the beginning Elizer is shown as a very dedicated, optimistic, and lighthearted little boy. The book starts with Elizer talking. “During the day I studied the Talmund, and at night I ran to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the temple.” (page 1) Although he is young, he has already learned that he should be devoted to his religion. Once the Germans come and start taking over the city, the Jewish people of the city are forced to wear a yellow star (the Star of David) to distinguish them from the non-Jewish people in the city. Elizer is very upset about this, while his father doesn't seem affected by it at all. His father tries to comfort Elizer. The father’s argument is that wearing the star is not so terrible, it can’t kill you, but Elizer’s response says it all. He says, “Poor Father! Of what then do you die?” (page 9)
Once the Germans start to evacuate the town, Elizer is basically in disbelief, although he is still optimistic about the future. He talks about how he sits on the pavement watching everyone walk by loading up into the caravans, and that he is unable to move. He says it is all to unreal. “Here came the Rabbi, his back bent, his face shaved, his pack on his back. His mere presence among the deportees added a touch of unreality to the scene. It was like a page torn from a story book, from some historical novel about the captivity of Babylon or the Spanish Inquisition.” (page 14) Although his life is changing, and because we know how this story ends, it is an obvious downhill spiral from here, the character has not yet lost faith. “I was up at dawn. I wanted time to pray before we were expelled.” (page 16) His faith really shines through in the beginning.
Once he arrives at the first camp, there is still a lot of disbelief, and you can already see him building defenses around his emotions. One of the first things he...
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