Bridging the Gap
An Analysis of the Generation Gap Through World War II The past and the present often conflict. In life, young people tend to disregard history and past events labeling them as old and outdated. Conversely, older people tend to get stuck in the past and cannot keep up with the ever-changing present. This ‘generation gap’ creates a constant inner struggle to find a middle ground; living in the present but acknowledging both the past and the future. The ultimate challenge is not allowing history to define either generation, but still acknowledging it enough to recognize its influence on their lives. In Night, by Eliezer Wiesel, Eliezer discusses his life challenges during the Second World War including historical conflicts, …show more content…
Eliezer Wiesel discusses his experiences of conflict through violence throughout the book Night. His writing portrayed his personal experiences as a prisoner in the holocaust – the large-scale persecution of the Jews – and in relation to other captives. Eliezer was liberated and had returned home without his father who had been with him during their time of incarceration. Torn from his family and his God due to the violence he was exposed to, caused deep damage within. He explains this at the end of the book Night, when he says, “One day I was able to get up, after gathering all my strength. I wanted to see myself in the mirror hanging on the opposite wall. 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.” (115). This is the final passage of Night; his final statement about the effect the holocaust had had on him. For Elizer, the memories were so painful – physically and mentally – that he had wished he saw himself dead than alive. He had not seen his reflection since he lived in the ghetto; before he was taken to the
An Analysis of the Generation Gap Through World War II The past and the present often conflict. In life, young people tend to disregard history and past events labeling them as old and outdated. Conversely, older people tend to get stuck in the past and cannot keep up with the ever-changing present. This ‘generation gap’ creates a constant inner struggle to find a middle ground; living in the present but acknowledging both the past and the future. The ultimate challenge is not allowing history to define either generation, but still acknowledging it enough to recognize its influence on their lives. In Night, by Eliezer Wiesel, Eliezer discusses his life challenges during the Second World War including historical conflicts, …show more content…
Eliezer Wiesel discusses his experiences of conflict through violence throughout the book Night. His writing portrayed his personal experiences as a prisoner in the holocaust – the large-scale persecution of the Jews – and in relation to other captives. Eliezer was liberated and had returned home without his father who had been with him during their time of incarceration. Torn from his family and his God due to the violence he was exposed to, caused deep damage within. He explains this at the end of the book Night, when he says, “One day I was able to get up, after gathering all my strength. I wanted to see myself in the mirror hanging on the opposite wall. 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.” (115). This is the final passage of Night; his final statement about the effect the holocaust had had on him. For Elizer, the memories were so painful – physically and mentally – that he had wished he saw himself dead than alive. He had not seen his reflection since he lived in the ghetto; before he was taken to the