The Main Themes in Night Essay

The symbolic portrayal of the nighttime helps to add a deeper meaning to the text. The title of the novel, Night, brings the symbol to the forefront of the reader’s mind. Nightfall is a time full of fear and lack of clarity due to the lack of light. This immediately presents an environment without safety or predictability. Similarly, the first mention of nighttime in the story is when Elie’s father receives the news that all of the Jews in his area are going to be moved into another confined section of the town. The introduction of the night signifies the end of the sun’s appearance and a plunging into darkness. There is no longer any light which Wiesel uses to mark the descent into the unknown as they enter the confined areas and later the work/concentration camps. Additionally, when Elie and his father are

The entire novel Night itself is actually an allusion or a symbol. Night refers to the darkness or the loss of religion throughout the novel. This is from Eliezer, himself, losing his religion throughout the novel and letting the darkness of suffering from the Nazi’s overcome his faith. Eliezer has no remorse for others anymore in the novel and this includes his father. In the novel, the prisoners from the camp are forced to run from the red army that have slowly been gaining on the Nazi’s. Eliezer and his father have to run for miles upon end in the snow without any shoes, food, or rest the entire time. This is when Eliezer realizes that if he leaves his father behind when he becomes to slow that he will survive even if his father doesn’t.

One point in the story that Eliezer questions his faith in God is when they are forced to

Eliezer was taught that God is supposed to be filled with good, yet as he goes through the Holocaust, he thinks that maybe God doesn't exist at all . As he and his father are walking through Auschwitz, he sees the Nazi's burning babies in a large pit. While his father began whispering to himself the prayer for the dead, reciting "may his name be blessed and magnified...," Eliezer asks himself, thinking that he would be burned as well, "Why should I bless his name? The Eternal, Lord of the Universe...was silent. What had I to thank him for?"(Page 31) This is the beginning of his lack of faith in god. As Eliezer and his father were together in Buna, an occasional public hanging would take place. Hangings were executed not only for those that committed a crime, but also for the prisoners of the camp, in order to learn a lesson from the accused. In Buna, one of three prisoners who were hung was a little boy, who was a servant of a member of the resistance group in the camp. Once the boy was publicly hung, the boy was still alive, just hanging there on the noose for about half an hour. As the prisoners in the camp were forced to watch the hanging, they began to cry. Eliezer said that even though there were so many hangings, this was the first time everyone was crying. At that moment, a prisoner asked out loud "Where is God now?"(Page 62) and Eliezer answered to himself "Where is he?

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.

I think reading this essay is really beneficial because it can further help you understand the meaning of night in the book its more then just a time frame when it gets dark out. My three points of this paper really connect together to make a strong point on my conception of night and what it means. If you want to get a further thought on what night really relates to in the book I am glad you read my paper because it can help you understand a little more! Now what does night mean to you in this book? Is it just a time frame or is it something more to you? Can you relate to how Elie has felt throughout the

Night is an account of the Holocaust and persecution of the Jewish people, written by Elie Wiesel. Elie Wiesel wrote, “Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky” (Night). Remembering the events of the Holocaust and the atrocities that occurred are a major theme of the book . The events of the Holocaust were unforgettable to Elie Wiesel and even on the first day, he saw children being burned. Throughout the book this is not the only atrocity that he saw.

Elie Wiesel writes a powerful and moving novel titled “Night” detailing his journey throughout what we now know today as the Holocaust while also bringing in elements of symbolism and imagery to strengthen the novel and deliver a story that is not only incredible but impactful as well. Throughout the book Elie slowly begins to lose his faith, his father, and his dignity which is shown through the symbol of night. "We were given no food. We lived on snow; it took place of the bread. The days were like nights, and the nights left the dregs of their darkness in our souls"(Wiesel 94).” In this quote Elie states what the nights would bring to the Jews which is darkness. This reveals his feelings of being alone with no God and the dark of night that

Night by Elie Wiesel focuses on giving the reader a precise understanding of the Holocaust from the perspective of a man who endured it. In order to vividly describe the situation, Wiesel uses specific words or phrases to signify the importance and value behind it. Wiesel writes, “Night. No one was praying for the night to pass quickly. The stars were but sparks of the immense conflagration that was consuming us. Were this conflagration to be extinguished one day, nothing would be left in the sky but extinct stars and unseeing eyes” (Wiesel 21). “Night” is used abundantly throughout the book. In today’s American society, night is for rejuvenation, peace,

Night can relate back to sociology in many different ways. The book is mainly about the Holocaust. The Holocaust can be related back to sociology such as Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is the theory of evolution that is explored by Charles Darwin. Darwinism uses terms like “survival of the fittest.” That term is applied to society. During World War II, the Nazi’s were in favor of Social Darwinism. They believed that the Jewish people were the inferior group. They believed that the conflict was necessary to remove the weaker people away from the superior Germans. Social Darwinism, in a way, was used when determining who was capable of working and who was going to be sent to the crematory. The Jews went under medical examination before entering the camps, and if a Jew was deemed unable to work, they would be gassed. Women and children were automatically sent to the death chambers. Jewish woman and children, In German eyes, were unable to work. The germans only kept the strongest Jews alive so they could work. Symbolism was sociological aspect of the Holocaust. “The yellow star? Oh well, what of it? You don't die of it." (Wiesel, 1) Elie, and the Jewish people around his town had to wear the Yellow Star Of David. They did this so that the Nazi’s could recognized if they were a Jew, or not. The title of the book “Night,” symbolizes death. Death is cold and dark just like an actual night. It

Eliezer begins to lose his faith in God when he first arrives at the concentration camp in Auschwitz. After Eliezer arrives in Auschwitz he catches people praying to God: “ For the first time, I felt anger rising within me. Why should I sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to to thank Him for” (33)? Elie and his father have just been separated from the rest of their family, and are quickly losing the little hope they have that they will be able to get out of there alive. EIie sees a truck full of babies being unloaded and thrown into a fire, and he wonders why God is doing absolutely nothing to stop it. Later in the book on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, “What are You, my God? I thought angrily… Why, but why would I bless him? Every fiber in me rebelled. Because he caused thousands of children to burn in his mass graves (66-67)? In this quote from the book, Eliezer is questioning God and asking him why he should praise him. Elie has lost his faith in the idea that God will save the Jews from their horrible imprisonment. Elie starts to believe that man is stronger and greater than God, and that he is alone in a world without God.

Night has a couple themes but, Faith is most evident. On page five of Night written by Elie Wiesel Moishe says, “I pray to the God within me for the strength to ask Him the real questions” (Wiesel 5). In this quote, Moishe explains to Elie why he prays to God and explains to him the importance of God to Moishe. On page twenty, faith is displayed when Elie says, “Oh God, Master of the Universe, in Your infinite compassion, have mercy on us” (20). This quote shows how even after the hardship, the Jews still rely on God for His wisdom and mercy. In Night, Elie speaks of his loss of faith. “Some of the men spoke of God: His mysterious ways, the sins of the Jewish people, and the redemption to

Night is a memoir written by Elie Wiesel, a young Jewish boy, who tells of his experiences during the Holocaust. Elie is a deeply religious boy whose favorite activities are studying the Talmud and spending time at the Temple with his spiritual mentor, Moshe the Beadle. At an early age, Elie has a naive, yet strong faith in God. But this faith is tested when the Nazi's moves him from his small town.

The novel “Night” was written by Elie Wiesel and is a memoir of his life during World War II. The book starts with his life living in Hungary with his family. It then tells of how they were taken away to concentration camps throughout the war. During Elie’s stays at the various camps you see the sacrifices he makes and how the experience changes him.

Night can be interpreted literally and figuratively because the night is a dark time just like it was for the Jews. Night is all they felt because the darkness overcame their lives. The darkness took a toll on all of the Jews during the holocaust. These people were beaten and tortured just because the Germans wanted to without reason.