Analysis Of Elie Wiesel 's ' Why I Write ' Night ' Essays

The denotation of adversity is hardship. Given the fact that he is a Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel is definitely not a stranger when it comes to adversity. Horace, a Roman poet, stated, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.” This quote applies to Wiesel because adversity (The Holocaust) is what brought the ability to write out of Wiesel. Facing adversity is what set the platform for Wiesel to write Night, a very famous book of his. Wiesel probably would not have become a writer if not for the Holocaust. Even after the Holocaust occurred, Wiesel still did not want to be a writer. In “Why I Write,” Wiesel goes on to state, “It was by seeking, by probing silence that I began to discover the perils and power of the word. I never intended to be a philosopher, or a theologian. The only role I sought was that of witness” (39). Wiesel’s refusal to stay silent when it comes to the events of the Holocaust is what motivated Wiesel to become a writer and to discover how powerful words really are. Wiesel does not write for himself, he writes because he believes that “Not to transmit an experience is to betray it” (39). Just as Horace claimed, if not for the Holocaust, Wiesel’s legendary writing ability probably would not have existed. Wiesel claims that the reason as to why he became a writer is since he absolutely had to. “for the survivor, writing is not a profession, but an occupation, a duty” (Wiesel 39).…