he Impact of Writing Style in Night The Holocaust was an event that could have only been conjured in the darkest and most terrifying depths of the human mind. It was, and still is, nearly unfathomable as to how one could possibly treat a fellow human like the Nazis treated the Jews during the Holocaust. Bestselling Author and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Elie Wiesel, experienced these horrific events first-hand, as he is a Holocaust survivor himself. As a survivor, he especially cannot comprehend how one could dehumanize so many millions of people. There are simply no words to describe the profound hatred that is the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel did put his Holocaust experience into words though, and his writing style in his book, Night, communicates
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These tactics are the principal way Wiesel makes Night more thought-invoking. Because he describes the majority of events, even the most horrific ones, with few words and little follow-up, the reader, in turn, reflects on the event in their head, imagining how those who were affected felt. The reader would not grasp the event better if Wiesel didn’t give this freedom of deeper thought. Take for example, Wiesel’s description of the death march, “An endless road. Letting oneself be pushed by the mob; letting oneself be dragged along by a blind destiny. When the SS became tired, they were changed. But no one changed us. Our limbs numb with cold despite the running, our throats parched, famished, breathless, on we went” (83.) The majority of this quote contains improper sentences, yet this description of the death march sticks with the reader. One can imagine the hordes of emaciated Jews struggling to move quickly along the path, as shots ring out that another fellow Jew has been shot for falling behind. These choppy sentence fragments can also be connected with the activity of the Jews. While exercising, breathing is usually more difficult and thus talking is harder, and breath is not wasted on fully formed thoughts. Wiesel also writes, “A mouthful of bread and a spoonful of snow. The SS who were watching laughed at this spectacle” (92.) He does not describe the anger …show more content…
Though they use few words, like the majority of his thought-invoking descriptions, the characters are given a distinct personality and can be imagined quite vividly if the reader puts his mind to it. For example, Wiesel writes, “A tall man, about thirty, with crime inscribed upon his brow and in the pupils of his eyes” (36.) His hatred and fear towards this man is put simply yet eloquently in this quote. Wiesel gives just enough information about this character for the reader to form their own visual and opinion of the SS officer, though this opinion might not stray too far from Wiesel’s own. Another German is described in a similar, but still unique way, “An assassin’s face, fleshy lips, hands like wolf’s paws” (Wiesel 45.) Wiesel’s most powerful character description, though, is his own. Wiesel describes the aftermath of the Holocaust on himself in the very last line of his book, “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” (109.) These two lines end the book with absolutely no closure. The reader has so many more questions, but Wiesel provides not a single answer. This ending is pure genius for these reasons, though. The Holocaust left its victims with so many questions as well, but the majority would never be answered.
These tactics are the principal way Wiesel makes Night more thought-invoking. Because he describes the majority of events, even the most horrific ones, with few words and little follow-up, the reader, in turn, reflects on the event in their head, imagining how those who were affected felt. The reader would not grasp the event better if Wiesel didn’t give this freedom of deeper thought. Take for example, Wiesel’s description of the death march, “An endless road. Letting oneself be pushed by the mob; letting oneself be dragged along by a blind destiny. When the SS became tired, they were changed. But no one changed us. Our limbs numb with cold despite the running, our throats parched, famished, breathless, on we went” (83.) The majority of this quote contains improper sentences, yet this description of the death march sticks with the reader. One can imagine the hordes of emaciated Jews struggling to move quickly along the path, as shots ring out that another fellow Jew has been shot for falling behind. These choppy sentence fragments can also be connected with the activity of the Jews. While exercising, breathing is usually more difficult and thus talking is harder, and breath is not wasted on fully formed thoughts. Wiesel also writes, “A mouthful of bread and a spoonful of snow. The SS who were watching laughed at this spectacle” (92.) He does not describe the anger …show more content…
Though they use few words, like the majority of his thought-invoking descriptions, the characters are given a distinct personality and can be imagined quite vividly if the reader puts his mind to it. For example, Wiesel writes, “A tall man, about thirty, with crime inscribed upon his brow and in the pupils of his eyes” (36.) His hatred and fear towards this man is put simply yet eloquently in this quote. Wiesel gives just enough information about this character for the reader to form their own visual and opinion of the SS officer, though this opinion might not stray too far from Wiesel’s own. Another German is described in a similar, but still unique way, “An assassin’s face, fleshy lips, hands like wolf’s paws” (Wiesel 45.) Wiesel’s most powerful character description, though, is his own. Wiesel describes the aftermath of the Holocaust on himself in the very last line of his book, “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” (109.) These two lines end the book with absolutely no closure. The reader has so many more questions, but Wiesel provides not a single answer. This ending is pure genius for these reasons, though. The Holocaust left its victims with so many questions as well, but the majority would never be answered.