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Character Analysis Of Life In Night By Elie Wiesel

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What is it like to be a prisoner of war? Very few ever live to tell the tale. There are survivors though. Among these survivors is Elie Wiesel. Elie Wiesel survived the Auschwitz concentration camp at the age of thirteen. Elie wrote a book to tell his story of how he survived the horrors of the Holocaust. Elie’s account details his daily life as a prisoner. Throughout the entire book, In “Night” by Elie Wiesel, the main character, Elie, changes as a person because of his experiences at Auschwitz.
Before Elie’s experience in the Auschwitz concentration camp, he had many character traits such as being unwise, innocent, and impatient. When Elie first arrives at Auschwitz and receives his first meal, his father warns him to ration his food. For example, “I was terribly hungry and swallowed my ration on the spot” (Wiesel 44). During Elie’s first meal in Auschwitz, he gobbles down his food and does not think about what might happen later. When his father starts to give him some advice, he is already finished with his meal. Elie acts unwisely by not thinking ahead to what might happen in the days to come. Earlier in the story, Elie and his family are waiting their turn to be put onto a train that will be sent to a concentration camp. Before they enter the train Elie asks, “ ‘When will it be our turn, father?’ I asked my father” (Wiesel 18). This quote shows that Elie really has no idea what is happening and what will happen to him. Elie has no idea that “his turn” will end up with him in a concentration camp. He is innocent and does not think about what bad might happen to him. Upon entering Auschwitz, Elie sees people being thrown into the fire and decides to die a quick death rather than suffer. Wiesel states, “ ‘If that is true, then I don’t want to wait. I’ll run into the electrified wire. . .’” (33). Elie is afraid of what is to come upon him arriving at the concentration camp. Because of this fear, his thoughts become driven by fear and cause him to think impulsively. Elie would rather die in the electric fence, than be worked or starved to death. Elie acts very unwisely in his reactions to seeing people killed. To sum up, before Elie changes as a person, he had traits such as being

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