preview

Examples Of Dehumanization In Night By Elie Wiesel

Decent Essays

In Night by Elie Wiesel, Elie gives us insight on his three-year long journey as a prisoner of the holocaust. He informs his readers that the Jewish community had to withstand the dehumanization brought upon by depraved Germans, deprived Jews, and the war inside of themselves. Elie relays his experiences, focusing on the dehumanization the Jewish population suffered from the Nazis through cruel punishments, and harsh epithets. The Jews endured severe castigation for many years; for example, on page 85, Elie stated, “they had orders to shoot anyone who could not sustain the pace. Their fingers on the triggers, they did not deprive themselves of the pleasure. If one of us stopped for a second, a quick shot eliminated the ‘filthy dog’”. To Germans, their ability to take the life of those who were weak. The Jews were frightened and gave up complete control to the Germans so they would not experience the Germans punitive actions. Elie also mentioned the day the doctor came into the room saying, “In fact, that doctor had come only to finish off patients. I listened to him …show more content…

He recalled the moment he was watching an execution, stating, “I watched other hangings. I never saw a single victim weep. These withered bodies had long forgotten the bitter taste of tears”. Wiesel established how dire the situation is, explaining the emotions everyone had blocked out. Having learned that death was inevitable. This reveals the helplessness and emotional exhaustion they all felt from their suffering. Wiesel also said, “we were incapable of thinking, our senses numbed, everything was fading into a fog. We no longer clung to anything”. This quote emphasizes how most people had given up on hope and motivation; freedom was no longer a good enough reason to live to them. Wiesel showed generations the horrid outcome of the dehumanization brought upon by different

Get Access