Symbolism In Night By Elie Wiesel

The Holocaust is arguably one of the most horrific events in human history. As the last Jewish survivors are passing away from old age, the importance of Holocaust related documentation is going to be imperative in teaching the next generations about the monstrosities that went on during this time. In the 1960 novel, Night, Elie Wiesel utilizes several literary devices, including the symbology of nighttime, motif of religious practices, and theme of father-son relationships, in order to emphasize the atrocities of the Holocaust specifically for Jews. Wiesel’s first hand experience in concentration camps allows for a vivid retelling of what many people had to endure.

Although there are many different stories about the holocaust, Elie Wiesel's story is very vivid and full of the jarring reality of his experiences. He doesn’t hold back any of the cruelness and torment he was forced to endure as an adolescent. In Night, Elie Wiesel uses repetition, imagery, and symbolism to illustrate the deprivation of his former self during his traumatic experiences during his time in the Nazi work camp.

"The night seemed endless" (Wiesel 26) on the train to Auschwitz. In the memoir "Night" by Elie Wiesel, Night is symbolic, and its meaning can be interpreted in multiple ways. Night epitomized fear whilst also serving as a haven from the torture in the camp. The horrors Elie witnesses in the camp are relieved, even if it be for a little while, at night. Night is not just a period of respite, but also a time of anxiety for the coming day of torture.

Fire! Burning bodies everywhere engulfing your eyes with sights never to be forgotten. The pain and suffering of those without sin. The hatred and sadness of it all. Just breaking the surface of what happened in the book Night. Different people of religions or races are being put into concentration camps, going through the hardest times of their lives. The author has a great use of repetition throughout the book giving a more in depth feeling of the characters actions and thoughts. The tone cannot be described as it changes drastically as the book unfolds, however, it gives a great incentive on the characters point of view in different situations. In addition, the irony in the book is greatly used by the difference in opinions that once were beloved but then were diminished in stature. In Night, Elie Wiesel uses tone, repetition, and irony to illustrate the loss of faith from unbearable circumstance.

Elie Wiesel uses several types of figurative language in Night. In his novel, Elie’s use of symbolism is most important in helping the reader understand the horrors of his experience during the Holocaust.

Often, the theme of a novel extends into a deeper significance than what is first apparent on the surface. In the novel Night by Elie Wiesel, the theme of night and darkness is prevalent throughout the story and is used as a primary tool to convey symbolism, foreshadowing, and the hopeless defeat felt by prisoners of Holocaust concentration camps. Religion, the various occurring crucial nights, and the many instances of foreshadowing and symbolism clearly demonstrate how the reoccurring theme of night permeates throughout the novel.

There are many vices that are taken up exclusively by Humans. Other animals don’t think about wiping out entire races or species just for kicks, most species don’t have the urge to attempt genocide or even turning on their own kin, but humans do. Elie Wiesel was a holocaust survivor whose ghastly year at the Auschwitz death camp was shared with the world by way of his book, “Night.”

In the memoir Night, by Elie Wiesel, the word night is repeatedly used as a metaphor symbolizing the conditions and emotions that the Jews struggle with during the Holocaust. Elie’s personal struggle with his experience evoke connotations of darkness that describe the inhumane treatment that Elie and the Jews are forced to endure throughout the memoir. In the beginning, Elie's town is invaded by German soldiers and soon, the Germans force all of the town's Jews to evacuate. After being thrown onto a freight train to Auschwitz, Elie experiences a whole new world filled with fear and hatred. Elie uses “night” to describe the struggles and hardships that he encounters throughout his experience. The literal meaning of the word night is simply the period of darkness everyday between sunset and sunrise. However, the metaphorical meaning of night, in this memoir, is far more sinister. As depicted in Night, the title metaphorically refers to the evil, hopelessness, and emotional coldness that the Jews are constantly forced to face throughout the Holocaust.

Language has the ability to impact the mood and tone of a piece in literature. In Night, Wiesel uses imagery, symbolism, diction and foreshadowing to illustrate dehumanization. The deeper true horror of the Holocaust is not what they Nazi’s did, but the behavior they legitimized as human beings being dehumanized by one another through silence and apathy.

In Night the setting is symbolic. The author Elie Wiesel uses symbolism by the street name being synonymous to evil or the devil. Wiesel writes “The street we lived on, Serpent street, was in the first ghetto” (11). In the story of Adam and Eve, Eve is tempted by the devil who takes the form of a serpent. The Nazis naming a street in the ghetto where they put the Jews Serpent Street symbolizes that they view the Jewish people as evil or like the devil. Symbolism is also found when they are in the cattle car. The quote “The world had become a hermetically sealed cattle car”(24). By saying that the world is a hermetically sealed cattle car it is symbolizing how their world is getting smaller and how they have no control over where they go or

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.

The title “Night” by Elie Wiesel symbolizes death. Death is symbolized throughout the book with the last night Elie is with his father, Elie’s last night in Sighet, and the last night in Buna. When it was Elie’s last night in Sighet so many Jews had already died at night. Also, after Elie’s last night in Buna the patients who stayed in the infirmary were killed by the Russians. Lastly, Elie spent his last moments with his father at night when his father gave up so another death at night. The symbolism of night, deaths, and last nights in shown in the text when the book states, “How much longer would our lives be lived from one “last night” to the next?” The text is saying that when will it become their last night meaning when they die so what

The motif that is the most identifiable in chapter two of Night by Elie Wiesel is the motif of fire and heat which contributes to the theme of hope. Furthermore, this motif becomes obvious when Mrs. Schachter continues to cry in distress about her hallucination of fire while the Jews were progressively nearing Birkenau. Additionally, on their journey to that location, the author describes their poor surroundings and environment. This is displayed in the quote “The heat, the thirst, the stench, the lack of air, were suffocating us.”(Wiesel 26). This quote reveals the harsh conditions the Jews undergo and may represent their hope and sanity vanishing as they travel towards the unknown. Furthermore, this quote supports the theme due to their negative

Elie Wiesel conveys meaning through the use of symbolism of the word “night” in the book Night. “Night” depicts the darkness of the soul. For example, the scene of the truck full of children consumed in flames. Wiesel states, “Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed” (Wiesel 34).

In Night, Elie Wiesel uses metaphors, similes, and imagery to illustrate the diabolical and inhumane occurrences during this harsh time period. Within the