In the novel Night, Elie Wiesel attempts to paint a dark picture of humanity; however he instead illustrates the different ways humans react to extreme circumstances. He clarifies the reasoning behind their actions in its rawest form due to the holocaust. Whether it is survival, greed for power or a colossal prejudice towards a race/religion, Night defines the actions of those who do their best to be the best they can be, to those who succumb to the dark nature of war.
Conducted by Hitler, the holocaust is the embodiment of how good intentions can go astray. Hitler felt that Germany was humiliated and wronged by the Treaty of Versailles, so taking matters into his own hands he worked his way up the government, collecting people who thought …show more content…
There were many reasons for their inclusion, some for survival, but others for personal gain. An astonishing amount of Nazi’s abused their power for the fun of it, and for some, the mere process of the concentration camps was not enough. Some wanted to take matters into their own hands, and some simply wanted something to do. “He threw himself on me like a wild beast, beating me in the chest, on my head, throwing me to the ground and picking me up again, crushing me with ever more violent blows, until I was covered in blood. As I bit my lips in order not to howl with pain, he must have mistaken my silence for defiance and so he continued to hit me harder and harder.”(pg. 53) Like Hitler, many thought that Germany had been wronged, but as they were not in charge in the take back of power they used the Jews and other captives of the holocaust to enact their revenge upon. Nevertheless, while many Nazis believed they’re country was wronged, they did not want to punish those who were innocent. The most notable of these was Elie’s first block leader in Auschwitz, who upon arrival made sure the children were fed, sneaking extra rations if needed. While people like these are largely overshadowed in the book, they are important to show that even in the grimmest situations there are people who will try to help even in the smallest way. This can do a lot to carry on some hope that not …show more content…
Being the main target in Hitler’s ‘purification’ of the world, two different methods of survival arose. Firstly, an aggressive, ‘I will do anything it takes for me to survive’ approach to the situation. Surviving on your own was a task in itself, so many detached themselves from the family that they had left to increase their own chance of survival. To achieve this effectively, many people shut out their emotions to cope with the reality of what was happening to them. Instead they would rely on base instincts to get by, their actions gradually turning more animalistic. Elie is struck with the full extent of what people are capable of doing to survive when he witnesses a son kill his own father in the train carriage over a measly piece of
Conducted by Hitler, the holocaust is the embodiment of how good intentions can go astray. Hitler felt that Germany was humiliated and wronged by the Treaty of Versailles, so taking matters into his own hands he worked his way up the government, collecting people who thought …show more content…
There were many reasons for their inclusion, some for survival, but others for personal gain. An astonishing amount of Nazi’s abused their power for the fun of it, and for some, the mere process of the concentration camps was not enough. Some wanted to take matters into their own hands, and some simply wanted something to do. “He threw himself on me like a wild beast, beating me in the chest, on my head, throwing me to the ground and picking me up again, crushing me with ever more violent blows, until I was covered in blood. As I bit my lips in order not to howl with pain, he must have mistaken my silence for defiance and so he continued to hit me harder and harder.”(pg. 53) Like Hitler, many thought that Germany had been wronged, but as they were not in charge in the take back of power they used the Jews and other captives of the holocaust to enact their revenge upon. Nevertheless, while many Nazis believed they’re country was wronged, they did not want to punish those who were innocent. The most notable of these was Elie’s first block leader in Auschwitz, who upon arrival made sure the children were fed, sneaking extra rations if needed. While people like these are largely overshadowed in the book, they are important to show that even in the grimmest situations there are people who will try to help even in the smallest way. This can do a lot to carry on some hope that not …show more content…
Being the main target in Hitler’s ‘purification’ of the world, two different methods of survival arose. Firstly, an aggressive, ‘I will do anything it takes for me to survive’ approach to the situation. Surviving on your own was a task in itself, so many detached themselves from the family that they had left to increase their own chance of survival. To achieve this effectively, many people shut out their emotions to cope with the reality of what was happening to them. Instead they would rely on base instincts to get by, their actions gradually turning more animalistic. Elie is struck with the full extent of what people are capable of doing to survive when he witnesses a son kill his own father in the train carriage over a measly piece of