An Analysis Of Elie Wiesel's 'Night'

In the novel “Night”, by Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor suggests that when humans are faced with protecting their own mortality, they abandon their morals and values. This can be seen in both the Jewish and German people. The German’s are inhumanely cruel to protect their own jobs and safely by obeying government commands. The Jewish captives lost their morals as they fight to survive the concentration camps. Elie Wiesel encountered many obstacles that made many of his ideals changed drastically for Wiesel which was his loss in humanity throughout the book he explains the many ways he does not see people as people anymore. He also explains how all of his natural human rights were no more during the time in the Holocaust. He had to find a sense of self because he could have easily fallen apart. He could not have done anything different, he knew it was going to end poorly. Silence is a very important and prominent theme in this book as silence represents many key symbols such as. God’s silence: Eliezar questions God’s faith many times throughout this book and wonders how he could just sit there and be silent while people are mass murdering people.

For starters, He had befriended a young Jewish boy by the name of Shmuel, which was an unacceptable action to compel in the time that Bruno was living in. Although Bruno didn’t know that what he had just done was considered as the wrong thing to do, he treated Shmuel just like anyone else never the less and thought of him as a close friend, well the only friend he had since moving to Auschwitz. When he had found out that Shmuel was starving and in need of food, Bruno made sure to go to the effort and bring food with him to enjoy with Shmuel when they were sitting together, separated by the fence. One day after uttering that the Germans were “superior” (Page 112), Bruno had quickly thought of changing the subject as it made him uneasy to have said that to Shmuel, having an innate sense that it wasn’t the right thing to have said. Although Bruno’s father had exclaimed it many times before, Bruno had not been fond of the words that were spoken out of his mouth at that exact moment. As the novel progresses further

Bruno had no idea what was going on in Germany with the discrimination of Jews and people inferior to Germans. His mother and grandmother did not agree with them killing off the Jews and his mother fought his father who was in the army trying to reason him about how bad what they are doing is. Bruno’s grandmother would not even come visit them because where they moved to and the reason for it, she told him how much of a disgrace he was for doing the things he is to the poor jewish community who never did anything wrong.

In the book it says, “‘You know how important fathers job is don't you?’ ‘Of course,’ said Bruno nodding his head, he knew this because there were always so many visitors to the house, men in fantastic uniforms... and they were always polite to Father and said that the Fury had big things in mind for him” (Boyne 4). Bruno knew that fathers job was very important and always called father the “good soldier”. He noticed how fancy fathers uniforms were and knew that since they had moved to Auschwitz because of father's job, that he had a great value in his line of work. If Bruno did know what fathers job was, he would be very furious with him. He’d not only be upset over the fact that he caused them to move for a terrible job, but he’d also be mad that father had some kind of connection to bringing Shmuel to Auschwitz and causing his papa to go

    First of all, it was bad for Bruno not to know about the Holocaust, because if he knew about the Holocaust then it would have saved his life.

In the story Bruno and Gretel learn many bad morals from both Lt. Kotler and Father and Mother. When Pavel (Family waiter) accidentally spilled wine on Lt. Kotler, (Boyne 148) Lt. Kotler grew very angry with Pavel.“What happened next was both unexpected and unpleasant “(Boyne 148)”He (Bruno) remembered how kind Pavel had been to him on the afternoon he made the swing”(Boyne 148). This shows that Pavel was injured by Kotler and most likely killed as he was never heard again in the story. These actions teach Bruno and Gretel that this could be punishment to anyone who messes with the Soldiers and that they should keep their mouth shut (Boyne 149). Earlier in the novel, Lt. Kotler displayed more actions by using racist terms (Verbal abuse) ordering Pavel to complete a task. “’Hey you!’ he shouted, adding a word that Bruno did not understand. ‘Come over here you….’ He said the word again” (Boyne 74-76) is an example of what Bruno and Gretel witnessed. This shows that Pavel is verbally abused by Kotler. Teaching Bruno

In the beginning of the novel, Bruno is revealed as an innocent, naive child oblivious to class differences or the reasonings for them. He does not understand how important his father is as one of “The Fury’s” top commanders. Although, Bruno is a very obedient child who never reads further into a situation beyond what he is told.

He is a passive observer, until the final pages where war claims his life. Bruno is naïve, innocent, ignorant and deeply reliant on his family members, which becomes evident through his thoughts and conversations. Despite his location and his father being hand-picked by the ‘Fury’ (Bruno’s incorrect naming of the Führer - Adolf Hitler), Bruno makes statements such as, “Why are there so many people on that side of the fence?...And what are [they] doing there?” (115). He even remarks to his Jewish friend, Shmuel, who is imprisoned on the other side of the fence, “Don’t you wake up in the morning and feel like wearing something different? There must be something else in your wardrobe” (151). Such statements prove that Bruno has no understanding of why he, or the people in ‘pyjamas’, are there or what they are enduring. His use of ‘pyjamas’ to describe what the prisoners wear prove that Bruno does not understand the demoralising and appalling situation. In contrast, Ellie understands what is happening around her and actively participates in it. Although Bruno loses his life to war, it is apparent that his immersions are contrary to Ellie’s. Bruno is a naïve observer whereas Ellie is a committed contributor to the

In the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel, Elie Wiesel is a young boy who struggles to survive after being forced to live in the brutal concentration camp of Auschwitz. In Auschwitz, death and suffering is rampant, but due to compassionate words and actions from others, Elie is able to withstand these severe living conditions and overcome the risk of death in the unforgiving Auschwitz. As shown through the actions and words of characters in Night, compassion, the sympathetic pity for the suffering or misfortune of others is critical to the human experience because it enables humans to empathize with each other, empathizing which allows us to feel the need to assist others which can often be vital for survival.

Finally, it was good that Bruno was naive about the Holocaust throughout the novel. Although Bruno became friends with Shmuel, which lead to a tragic ending. If Bruno wasn't naive about the holocaust he might not have even thought of going nearly as close to the

Bravery is correlated with a lack of awareness as well as an evil, cowardly trait exhibited in them. This is shown when Bruno is an immature person that does not appreciate the living things of Auschwitz. He also has been brainwashed by the nature of Auschwitz, including the surroundings around it. As well, Bruno’s life would have become better if he was not friends with Shmuel, who was a Jewish person. Therefore, Bruno’s acts of cowardice and a lack of awareness are responsible for his fearful traits, which is shown in his depreciation for the living things that exist in Auschwitz, the brainwashed traits of Bruno, and his friendly relationship with Shmuel.

The last time he had seen his grandmother was after she stormed out of their old house when she heard of his father’s promotions. Bruno decides to write to her, expressing his feeling of boredom and how much he misses her. Bruno’s father hires a teacher called Herr Liszt to teach Bruno and his sister Gretel on the history and geography of “The Fatherland” (Germany). Bruno decides one day that he wants to explore “Out-With”, which is forbidden by his parents. While he explores, he finds a fence but no one is behind it. Bruno was hungry and was about to head home before he noticed a thin boy wearing striped pajamas. Bruno talks to the boy and we find out that the boy’s name is Shmuel. Shmuel and Bruno talk with each and soon become friends. Shmuel tells Bruno about how he and his family were brought to “Out-With” cramped together with other Jews who were taken on a train with no doors to “Out-With”. Shmuel and Bruno meet with each other regularly and talk to each other. One evening, Lieutenant Kotler joins the family and shares dinner with them. During dinner, Pavel accidently spills wine on Lieutenant Kotler who gets furious and does something to Pavel (the story does not tell us what he did) and Bruno is very upset about what Kotler did to

As Bruno's parents were fiercely protective that he, a 9 year old boy, was to know nothing of the Holocaust or his father's job, I took the message that prejudice and hatred are things learned in later life, as Bruno, hidden from reality, tried to make sense of what little he saw in

Bruno knew that he had to help Shmuel when he reported his papa missing. He acted because he knew it was hard for Shmuel to take any action himself and because he was his “best friend for life”. This situation also points at Bruno’s obedience to Shmuel, the way he wants to see over the fence and why he believes the Jewish people are “nice”. In the text the theme of disobedience is portrayed by Bruno’s disobedience to his

What happened then during dinner was both unexpected and extremely unpleasant. Lieutenant kotler grew very angry with Pavel and no one except for Bruno-not Gretel, not mother, and not even Father-stepped in to stop him from doing what he did next, even though none of them could watch. Bruno then did something you wouldn’t normally expect from him.