The Theme of Darkness in Night by Elie Wiesel - 1514 Words

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. Faith in a higher power is often used as a crutch by many in times of struggle. However, when that crutch is removed, the hardships that need to be overcome seem to increase as hope diminishes. This is true†¦show more content†¦Never (Wiesel 32). This quote unites the emotional, mental, psychological, and spiritual damaged suffered by Eliezer from his experiences with inhumanity of the Nazis. Lastly, the march from Buna to Buchenwald occurs at night; this is significant because it indicates the fate awaiting the prisoners (Fine 54). The many important nights that take place throughout the novel are clear indicators of the significance that the theme of darkness and night possesses all through the story. As well as being a large component in expressing the profundity of the motif of night, the critical nights serve to bring about internal changes within the protagonist, Eliezer. He changes not only outwardly during his suffering, but changes as a person on the inside. This change can be summarized by the quote, The night was gone. The morning star was shining in the sky. I too had become a completely different person. The student of Talmud, the child that I was, had been consumed in flames. There remained only a shape that looked like me. A dark flame had entered my soul and devoured it (Wiesel 34). In this line, Eliezer discusses how his Holocaust experiences have changed him by stealing his innocence, robbing him of his childhood and destroying his soul. In the course of all these transformations, Eliezer seems to lose track of time itself. His quote, So much had happened within such a few hours that I had lost all sense of time.Show MoreRelatedNight, By Elie Wiesel1083 Words   |   5 Pagesthe 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. The symbolic portrayal of the nighttime helps to add a deeper meaning to the text. The title of the novel, Night, brings the symbolRead MoreThe Holocaust: Night by Elie Wiesel1635 Words   |  7 PagesJews were persecuted, tortured and slaughtered in concentration camps (â€Å"The Holocaust† 1). Night by Elie Wiesel is the powerful memoir of his experiences during the Holocaust. Night shows the tragedy of the Holocaust through the use literary devices, including the themes of loss of faith and cruelty toward other human beings, night as a symbol of suffering and fear, and the use of first person narrative. Night allows the reader to emotionally connect with the victims of the Holocaust, encourages themRead MoreElie Wiesel s The Holocaust1315 Words   |  6 Pagesappeared to be a time of darkness and it seemed like on Earth and in heaven, each doorway of humanity, empathy, and kindness had been closed down. Those who did not encounter the Holocaust cannot begin to comprehe nd what it was like, however, those who did cannot begin to express it. Torture, genocide, and cruel acts started to fill brains and souls. The Holocaust was an event where millions of people were being murdered during World War II. The memoir, Night by Elie Wiesel is based on Wiesel’s experiencesRead MoreNight: Heart-Wrenching and Traumatic Themes1189 Words   |  5 Pagesnovel, Night, by Elie Wiesel, contains heart-wrenching as well as traumatic themes. The novel unfolds through the eyes of a Jewish boy named Eliezer, who incurs the true satanic nature of the Nazis. As the Nazis continue to commit inhumane acts of discrimination, three powerful themes arise: religion, night, and memory. As the novel begins to unfold, Anti-Semitism does as well. As Wiesel demonstrates in the novel, â€Å"Three days later, a new decree: Every Jew had to wear the yellow star.† (Wiesel, 11)Read More`` Night `` By Elie Wiesel1341 Words   |  6 Pagesmemoir â€Å"Night,† written by Elie Wiesel describes the brutality Wiesel experienced during the Holocaust, and how life changing it was. Although some may believe the memoir written by Elie Wiesel was titled â€Å"Night† because he was forced to leave his home during the night, Wiesel illustrates Jews losing hope, faith, and happiness through the symbol of Night, to prove that the memoir was titled â€Å"Night† to symbolize the darkness the holocaust created. The first darkness that the word â€Å"Night,† symbolizedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald947 Words   |  4 PagesWiesel wrote in a lot of detail about the events that were unfolding right in front of him. He could never forget the violence because it was stuck in his mind. Dehumanization was a huge role throughout the book in the conditions of how his story played out. The people of Sighet were moved to Auschwitz in cattle cars. Food and water was not available and the bathroom was a bucket in the middle of the room. Followed by the arrival at Auschwitz, Wiesel other men were forced to strip naked. ThenRead MoreExamples Of Dehumanization In The Book Night1183 Words   |  5 Pagesbook, Night, by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, provides an overview of Elie’s experiences during the Holocaust, and there were a multitude of ways that Elie and his inmates were dehumanized. It all started in 1944, when Elie and his family were deported from their home in Sighet and taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp. When they arrived, they had to leave their possessions on the train and went into the concentration camp where all of his family except his father were murdered. Elie and hisRead MoreNight, By Elie Wiesel842 Words   |  4 Pagesmajor themes of Night and the imagery that the author, Elie Wiesel, uses to create them. The themes we will discuss are identity, silence, and night. !!!About the Book If you were an observant Jew who believed in a loving God, then you and your family were captured by a group of ill-intentioned people, causing the death of your family, what would you think about whether God and humans are good or not? That is the main concern of Eliezer, the main character in Night. Night wasRead MoreNight And Dawn : The Revolutionizing Story Of Tragedy1663 Words   |  7 PagesNight and Dawn: The Revolutionizing Story of Tragedy Throughout the course of history, time has been kind to some, and evil to others. To Elie Wiesel, time has been a ruthless machine that only caused hardship and sorrow. Elie Wiesel had to encounter arguably the most tragic event in history, the Holocaust, which took the life of his mother, father, and siblings, in addition to 6 million other Jews. Essentially, the Holocaust stemmed from Adolf Hitler gaining power of Germany in World War II, whichRead MoreAn Analysis Of Elie Wiesel s The Jewish Scriptures 1219 Words   |  5 Pages1930’s Sighet, Elie Wiesel is expected to do as he is told and continue to further his studies in the Jewish scriptures. Young Elie becomes intrigued by the vast amount of knowledge he has absorbed over his youthful fifteen years, and determined to verse himself in Kabballah, a more intense and deeper branch of the holy texts. Going against his father’s word, he dives into the water, swimming into depths uncharted by all Sighet boys his age. One day, in his search for intellect, Wiesel met a man, worn