Theme Analysis:

Self Preservation vs. Family Commitment

Elie notices the relationship between Rabbi Eliahou and his son. The son felt his father was weak, so he separated himself from his father for his own preservation. Elie prays to God to not be like him and have strength to help his own father, Elie wants to help his father and preserve his family commitment.

Elie was talking to the head of his block while they were at Buchenwald. The head told him to just let his father die, and only try to help himself. This gave Elie a tough decision to make. Should he save himself or keep helping his father even though death may be nearing? He thought, at first, he shouldn’t help him, but then decided it was best he helped him.

Elie cared for his father and wanted to keep him alive during their time at the concentration camps. He cared for him so much that even during those starving times Elie gave up his ration of food so that his father may become healthier. Elie was strong enough to put his father above his own health.

After Elie’s father dies, he almost has a sense of relief that he does not have to worry about him anymore. Though it shows a darker side of Elie, that he is deep down glad not to worry about his father anymore, it also shows he was committed to helping him until death.

When Elie and his family first arrived at Aushwitz they were separated, from women and children to men. Elie decided to go with his father and leave his sister and his mother by themselves. Elie will never know if he stayed with his mother and sister if he could have saved them. Instead he went the way he knew he would live.

Olivia del Rio

Period 6

Night By: Elie Wiesel Memoir

Literary Elements:

Irony:

“‘The yellow star? Oh well, what of it? You don’t die of it…’” (pg. 6)

“Saturday, the day of rest, was chosen for our expulsion.” (pg. 13)

Metaphor:

“Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.” (pg. 23)

“Everything was free for anyone, belonging to nobody. It was simply a matter of

helping oneself. An open tomb.” (pg. 10)

Simile:

“Physically he was as awkward as a clown.” (pg. 1)

“They went by, fallen, dragging their packs, dragging their lives, deserting their

homes, the years of their childhood, cringing like beaten dogs.” (pg. 10)

Foreshadowing:

“The train disappeared on the horizon; it left nothing behind but its thick, dirty

smoke.” (pg. 2)

“‘Look! Look at it! Fire! A terrible fire! Mercy! Oh, that fire!’ … There was nothing

there; only the darkness.” (pg. 16)

Imagery:

“Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.” (pg. 23)

“Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into

wreaths of smoke beneath at silent blue sky.” (pg. 23)

Internal Conflict:

“I did not weep, and it pained me tha t I could not weep. But I had no more tears.

And, in the depths of my being, in the recesses of my weakened conscience,

could I have searched it, I might perhaps have found something like-free at last!”

(pg. 75)

“‘Where is God now?’ And I heard a voice within me answer him... ‘He is hanging

here on this gallows.’” (pg.43)

Characterization:

“My father was cultured, rather unsentimental man. There was never any display

of emotion, even at home.” (pg. 1)

“He made people smile, with his waiflike timidity, I loved his great, dreaming

eyes, their gaze lost in the distance.” (pg. 1)

Indifference:

“Here or elsewhere- what difference did it make? To die today or tomorrow, or

later? The night was long and never ending.” (pg. 66)

“They struck her several times on the head-blows that may have killed her”

(pg. 17)

Plot:

“The Jews of Sighet- the little town in Transylvania where I spent my childhood.”

(pg. 1)

“I had to stay at Buchenwald until April eleventh.” (pg. 76)

Theme Analysis: Elie Wiesel shows in his memoir Night that the Holocaust widely affected and

tested the wills of people and their commitment to their loved ones. He showed how he

kept helping his father, even when he was struggling and how his father did the same

for him. He was able to show that through times of moral crisis, people that truly loved

each other were able to still help and care for one another, but that was not the case for

everyone. Wiesel also told the reader how people he knew put self preservation above

all else. He showed that the Holocaust had tainted many, the strong ones survived, but

in the end no one was left untouched.

In Night, Weisel elaborated on how much this changed the people, it showed in

everyone’s eyes. It was complicated to survive and keep faith in anyone; family, friends,

religion. People were starting to believe it was every man for them self. Elie knew he

could not listen to these people, but by not listening he still lost his faith in everything but

his father. Elie showed that if you really tried, you could keep a commitment to your

family until the end.

Repeatedly you will hear Elie Wiesel describe the look in people’s eyes. Our

eyes illustrate so much emotion. Wiesel used eyes as one of his main motifs in Night

which gave a deeper sense of connection to the story. He also had used other literary

elements, by using these he made it easier for the reader to unite in his feelings.

Internal Conflict:

External Conflict:

Elie vs. HimselfElie fought with his conscience to do what was

right.

Elie was confused and did not know what to about many of his problems. He did not know if

it was the right thing to do to help his father and others.

Elie vs. his FaithElie had trouble with keeping faith.

“Where is God now?” This was a question that had haunted Elie. Should he believe in Him? At

times he did, and prayed for his help and guidance; but, in times of mass killings, it was

difficult to remain strong in faith.

Elie vs. IdekElie gets in trouble for not listening to Idek.

Elie snuck in on Idek and this angered him. Elie was scared of what Idek’s punishment was

going to be. For payback he whips Elie in front of everyone.

Elie vs. Holocaust

The elements of the holocaust; mass killings, starvation, inhuman torture, were all very

different for a young boy like Elie to face. He survived it though, but with many scars to show

for it.

Motif:Night:

Night time is very mysterious. The night is dark and full of the unknown. Using night as

a motif brings upon a sense of gloom or almost evil aura to Elie Wiesel’s memoir. The

Nazi’s caused the people of the Jewish faith unforgettable and horrible memories that

will forever follow them. Elie seemed to dread the night time and it lurked around him

and his people like a forever shadowing night.

Night quotes:

1) “They struck her several times on the head- blows that might have killed her. Her

little boy clung to her; he did not cry out; he did not say a word. He was not even

weeping now. An endless night. Toward dawn, Madame Schachter calmed

down.” (pg. 17)

2) “To die today or tomorrow, or later? The night was long and never ending.”

3) “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.” (pg. 23)

Explanations:

1) The beating of Madame Schachter was just the start of the endless and horrible

torture that Elie would have to watch and go through.

2) Elie seemed to fear night and the unhappiness and sorrow it had brought him.

3) To Elie, comparing something to the night meant it was not something that made

him happy or joyful; it was the complete opposite actually.

Eyes:Eyes speak words that can not always be spoken by the human mouth, they show

peoples inner feelings. Wiesel uses eyes as a window into the people’s innermost

feelings.

Eye Quotes:

1) “Moché had changed. There was no longer joy in his eyes.” (pg.3)

2) “.. those children in the flames. (Is it surprising that I could not sleep after that?

Sleep had fled from my eyes.)” (pg. 21)

3) “I had not seen myself since the ghetto. From the depths of the mirror, a corpse

gazed back at me. The look in his eyes, as they stared into mine, has never left

me.” (pg. 77)

Explanations:

1) Moché use to have so much hope in his eyes, now that Holocaust had ruined it

for him.

2) Elie’s hopes and dreams had been taken from his eyes, and the only inner

feelings that shown from them, was insomnia, starvation and grief.

3) Elie talks about seeing himself and the look of his eyes in the third person. After

the Holocaust Elie now sees himself as two different people and can now judge

his own eyes.

Residents near camps: 1 %Those people, who lived near the concentration camp, should have spoke up about what was happening in their own backyards. Though, they probably would have been killed if they tried to speak up or fight against them, something should have been done.

Soldiers who carried out extermination: 20 %The soldiers who actually killed, burned and murdered all those millions of Jewish people with no questions are very much to blame. They should have been stronger and not have listened to their leaders, cause if they wouldn’t have listened, the other major Nazi leaders wouldn’t have been able to fight against all of them. They could have united and stop the whole holocaust.

Hitler: 31 %This mad-man’s ideas were the whole reason for such a massive genocide. Without Hitler the holocaust probably wouldn’t have succeeded. He had so much power over his people, it is very depressing he used it for evil and hatred.

German Citizens that voted for Nazi party: 6 %It is an awful thing to see how other people give us our opinion. These Germans who followed Hitler could not form their own thoughts to realize that this was inhuman. If they stood up for what was right, they could have saved a race.

Officers that designed “Final Solution”: 20 %These people are horrible for designing the idea of “final solution”. If it were not for them, they would not know how to exterminate almost an entire faith.

Europeans that turned against Jewish friends: 2 %If their so-called European “friends” would have spoke out and tried to fight for them, the Holocaust may have ended sooner; but it still would have happened.

Leaders of Allied countries: 5 %The allied countries would not have been able to stop the Holocaust from the beginning. They could have maybe slowed it down, or came in during and stopped the Nazis.

Churches who remained silent: 15 %The churches can be blamed. First off, it almost goes against all religions because you are all supposed to be kind to their neighbors. Secondly, if people saw them helping I really believe more would have started helping too.

Elie’s Travels:

1. Sighet, Transylvania train to2. Birkenau, Poland forced march to3. Aushwitz, Poland forced march to4. Buna, Poland forced march to5. Gletiwitz, Poland train to6. Buchenwald, Germany

6.

5.

4.3.2.

1.

Key:

Traveled by Train

Traveled by Foot