Night Elie Wiesel

Symbolism of darkness/night

A world without God.

"To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all." (Quote from Elie Wiesel's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech)

The Jews quietly accepted their fate of being persecuted. They also remained indifferent to all the rumors about the German concentration camps as it hadn't affected them at the time and continued on with their normal life.

Kabbalah

Type of Jewish mysticism. Spoken as a Jewish prayer of death when a person has passed away.

Foreshadow of Moishe the Beadle's tale

Moishe's experiences at the German concentration camps foreshadows Elie's own arrival/journey at Auschwitz.

Irony of town's reaction to Moishe the Beadle's story

Nobody, including Eliezer, believed Moishe's description of the German camps. This is ironic as they all are soon shipped off to Auschwitz and see similar things daily.

"Open rooms everywhere. Gaping doors and windows looked into the void. It all belonged to everyone since it no longer belonged to anyone. It was there for the taking. An open tomb. A summer sun."

Metaphor and foreshadow. The open tomb is compared to the town in the sense that anyone can stare into it; while the summer sun is compared to something everyone can share and enjoy. The open tomb also foreshadows the vast numbers of bodies laying around in the open at the concentration camps.

Auschwitz I

Concentration camps and medical experiments conducted.

Auschwitz II (Birkenau)

Facilities for killing center (i.g crematoria/gas chambers).

Auschwitz III (Buna/Monowitz)

Houses prisoners that perform forced-labor for the syncretic rubber plants.

Terezein

A model concentration camp in Czechoslovakia that Hitler created to invite members of the Red Cross to. Also the site of various forms of protest and resistance.

Ghettos

Slums where Jews were forced to live.

Significance of Eliezer's group's stay at the Synagogue

The synagogue (Jewish place of worship) was desecrated and ransacked by both outsiders and the Jews themselves.

Eliezer's relationship to his father (beginning)

Distant, unsentimental, stoic. Eliezer was determined to learn about religion whereas his father was adamant about Elie learning a trade.

Foreshadow/Repitition of Madame Schachter's "vision"

Madame Schachter's vision of the fire is repeated throughout the section. It foreshadows the end of the section where the smoke of the crematoria is seen when the Jews reach Auschwitz.

Irony of Madame Schachter's "vision"

As Madame Schachter continuously screams about a seemingly nonexistent fire, the Jews progressively get more aggravated with her. Eventually the younger men flog her, finally fed up with her antics. However, after some time has passed they immediately spot the smoke from the crematoria.

Why does Elie lie about his job?

Elie says that he is a farmer, a career able to do labor. It was illogical for him to say that he was a scholar as he would probably be cremated for his "inability" to do harsh, strenuous work.

Irony of "Arbeit macht frei"

Literally means "Work sets you free" and is found at the entrance gate to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Ironic as the result of the work done in Auschwitz is death. The liberty obtained from work is found only in death.

"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. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never."

Title passage. Describes how traumatized Elie truly is. It reflects on the cruelty and inhumanity of Auschwitz and the association of smoke to the dead children. His dreams and religion were crushed by all this cruelty he experienced in the concentration camps.

What is recited as the prisoners approach the crematory?

The Kabbalah is recited by the Jews, as they near their apparent death. However, Eliezer is angered that they were sanctifying the God. Even so, he still subconsciously begins to recite the verse of death.

A-7713

Elie's new "name" at the camps. All prisoners are given similar "names". This expresses how the Jews were stripped of their identity and individuality (Theme).

Dr. Mengele the "Angel of Death"

Alludes to the angel Azrael in the Old Testament.

"We mustn't give up hope, even now as the sword hangs over our heads"

Allusion to King Damaecles. Being king always has a sword above their head.

Irony of treatment at the factory

A fellow prisoner told Eliezer that they had fallen into a "good Kommando" who occasionally vented his fury on the Jews. This is ironic as all the conditions and treatment in the concentration camps during the Holocaust was harsh and cruel.

"We were lucky"

Irony. Elie is extremely grateful to still be alive with his father and to still hold onto his shoes. These things we take for granted, he is elated to have.

What happens to the prisoners that disobey the rules of the camp?

Prisoners are punished severely. Anything from being beaten to being executed.

"'For God's sake, where is God?' And from within me, I heard a voice answer: 'Where He is? This is where- hanging here from this gallows.'"

The young boy that was hung symbolizes Eliezer's slow, painful spiritual death.

"Then the entire camp, block after block, filed past the hanged boy and stared at his extinguished eyes, the tongue hanging from his gaping mouth"

Allusion to when God called Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac.

Celebration of Rosh Hashanah

Ironic as Rosh Hashanah is celebrated on the last day of the year. In the concentration camps during the Holocaust, every day is the last day.

Fasting for Yom Kippur

As the prisoners are only fed very small rations of soup and bread it is ironic to fast as every single day in the camps they are fasting.

Why did Elie not partake in the celebration of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah?

He believed that by not celebrating, he was rebelling directly against God. His father was also against the idea of him not eating his rations.

"Blessed by God's name? Why, but why would I bless Him?Every fiber in me rebelled. Because He caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves? Because He kept six crematoria working day and night, including Sabbath and the Holy Days?"

Supports the theme that during times of tragedy, one's faith is constantly tested but in the end, is eventually lost.

"This must be how one stands at the last judgement."

Allusion to the last judgement and compares the selection to it.

Irony of Eliezer and his father leaving with the evacuation

Had Elie and his father stayed with the sick for 2 more days, they would have been liberated. However, since they evacuated, they were trapped in another camp for much longer.

"Let's hope we won't regret it, Eliezer."

Foreshadow. By not staying with the ill, Elie's father passes away.

"Let them know that here lived men and not pigs."

Ironic that the Blockalteste was the one to say this as the German officers saw all the prisoners as animals/dogs (definitely not as humans).

What happens to the men that slow down in their travel to Gleiwitz?

Men that were caught straggling were either immediately shot by an SS officer or were trampled under the feet of the thousands of prisoners.

Juliek playing Beethoven's concerto

Example of resistance. Beethoven is a German composer and as such, Jews were not allowed to play any compositions by him as they were deemed "unworthy".

Juliek's broken violin

Symbolizes the complete loss of hope and an example of the Jews' loss of humanity.

"Oh God, Master of the Universe, give me the strength never to do what Rabbi Eliahu's son has done."

Foreshadow and irony. Foreshadows his father's death and how Eliezer rolls over and falls asleep when hearing his father's cries and pleas. Ironic as Elie eventually does the exact thing he prayed that he would not.

What happens to those who fall asleep in the snow inside of the caved-in brick factory?

The men who "fall asleep" die due to the hypothermia caused as a result to the frigid temperatures.

"The volunteers undressed him and eagerly shared his garments. Then, two 'gravediggers' grabbed him by the head and feet and threw him from the wagon, like a sack flour."

Supports the theme that survival instincts take priority over any humane acts. Also describes how times of crisis dehumanize man due to the need of self preservation (safety).

Civilians of German towns throwing bread in the train compared with the Parisian lady throwing coins to children.

Flash-forward to Elie's experience of the lady taking pleasure in watching the children struggle against one another to get the coins she throws. Similar to the German locals tossing bread and watching the Jews maul each other to death.

"Suddenly, the evidence overwhelmed me: there was no longer any reason to live, any reason to fight."

When Eliezer believes his father is dead, he realizes that only his father's presence is giving him the will to survive and continue on. This foreshadows this loss of his will to live, later on in the book.

"Meir, my little Meir! Don't you recognize me… You're killing your father… I have bead… for you too… for you too…"

Refer to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs; when physical needs exceed any other needs- including familial bonds.

Dysentary

Disease that must be treated by a medical professional. Symptoms include the inflammation of intestines, severe diarrhea, dehydration, and fevers.

What does Eliezer's father choose for himself?

His father has chosen Death. Elie describes his futile argument with his father as one with death and how once death has chosen, there is no return.

"Eliezer…"

Last words spoken to Elie by his father. Represents the conflict that Elie experiences within. For example, he did not weep but it pains him that he does not.

The death of Elie's father

Irony. Eliezer feels as though he is finally free and does not have the burden of caring for his father anymore. This is ironic as the "freedom" he experiences is accompanied with the loss of his will to live.

"From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me."

Elie has become a shell of what he once was. He has more in common with A-7713 than he does with Eliezer. This supports the theme of identity.

"Our first act as free men was to throw ourselves onto the provisions. That's all we thought about. No thought of revenge, or of parents. Only of bread."

After the prolonged period of suffering the prisoners went through, they finally achieved their dream of freedom. However, they no longer know what it means to be free.