Survival of Night Theme Essay
11 million people were killed during the Holocaust (1.1 million children). 6 million of those victims were Jewish (“11 Facts About the Holocaust.”). The book Night, by Elie Wiesel is based off the author’s personal experiences with the Holocaust as Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor himself. In the book, Eliezer and his father get separated from their family and taken away to concentration camps and they fear losing each other and the harsh reality that comes along with being in a concentration camp. Throughout their journey, they endure many struggles and they must keep fighting to survive. In Night, Elie Wiesel presents the idea that survival can overpower all other thoughts, even when it affects family. Early …show more content…
The text shows an example by stating, “Yes, My mother’s had news from your family. Reizel is very well. The children too” (Weisel 41). Eliezer and his father found Stein, although they couldn’t remember Stein that clearly. Stein was happy to see familiar faces and he enjoyed talking to them. Eliezer had to lie to Stein about Stein’s family doing well because Stein’s only motivation in life was for his family, and by Eliezer telling Stein happy spirits, it kept the morale up for Stein to keep fighting. Another example from the text stated, “I refused to give him my shoes. They were all I had left. He was very keen on my shoes; but I did not give them up to him” (Wiesel 46). At camp Buna, a boy offered to exchange his bread/margarine for Eliezer’s shoes. By Eliezer keeping his shoes, he gave himself an advantage because it was very important to have good shoes due to the fact that Eliezer went through very hard labor everyday. Also, having shoes protected your feet from bacteria and fungus. The text states, “I had saved my gold crown. It might be useful to me one day to buy something-bread or life. I now took little interest in anything except my daily plate of soup and my crust of stale bread” (Wiesel 50). Eliezer pretended that he was sick so that the dentist could not remove his gold crown. Eliezer knew what was important and meaningful in life that could help …show more content…
The text stated, “We were masters of nature, masters of the world. Stronger than cold or hunger, stronger than the shots and the desire to die, condemned and wandering, mere numbers, we were the only men on earth” (Wiesel 83). Eliezer, along with everyone else were all tired from marching and sprinting and they couldn’t wait until they reached the next rest area. Eliezer showed an example of a positive mindset by relating himself to the “masters of the world” and he showed himself that he had strength to be a Holocaust survivor. Furthermore, the text states, “I shall never know. All I can say is that I won. I succeeded in digging a hole through this wall of dying people, a little hole through which I could drink in a small quantity of air” (Wiesel 90). In the barracks, people were shoved in and packed very tightly together. It didn’t matter if they were dead or alive. This statement proves that Eliezer was desperate to do anything to get fresh air in order to live while they were packed tightly on the carts, even if he was putting holes through dead and weak people. The text stated, “The battle did not last long. Toward noon, everything was quiet again. The SS had fled and the resistance had taken charge of the running of the camp. At about six o’clock in the evening, the first American tank stood at the gates of Buchenwald”
11 million people were killed during the Holocaust (1.1 million children). 6 million of those victims were Jewish (“11 Facts About the Holocaust.”). The book Night, by Elie Wiesel is based off the author’s personal experiences with the Holocaust as Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor himself. In the book, Eliezer and his father get separated from their family and taken away to concentration camps and they fear losing each other and the harsh reality that comes along with being in a concentration camp. Throughout their journey, they endure many struggles and they must keep fighting to survive. In Night, Elie Wiesel presents the idea that survival can overpower all other thoughts, even when it affects family. Early …show more content…
The text shows an example by stating, “Yes, My mother’s had news from your family. Reizel is very well. The children too” (Weisel 41). Eliezer and his father found Stein, although they couldn’t remember Stein that clearly. Stein was happy to see familiar faces and he enjoyed talking to them. Eliezer had to lie to Stein about Stein’s family doing well because Stein’s only motivation in life was for his family, and by Eliezer telling Stein happy spirits, it kept the morale up for Stein to keep fighting. Another example from the text stated, “I refused to give him my shoes. They were all I had left. He was very keen on my shoes; but I did not give them up to him” (Wiesel 46). At camp Buna, a boy offered to exchange his bread/margarine for Eliezer’s shoes. By Eliezer keeping his shoes, he gave himself an advantage because it was very important to have good shoes due to the fact that Eliezer went through very hard labor everyday. Also, having shoes protected your feet from bacteria and fungus. The text states, “I had saved my gold crown. It might be useful to me one day to buy something-bread or life. I now took little interest in anything except my daily plate of soup and my crust of stale bread” (Wiesel 50). Eliezer pretended that he was sick so that the dentist could not remove his gold crown. Eliezer knew what was important and meaningful in life that could help …show more content…
The text stated, “We were masters of nature, masters of the world. Stronger than cold or hunger, stronger than the shots and the desire to die, condemned and wandering, mere numbers, we were the only men on earth” (Wiesel 83). Eliezer, along with everyone else were all tired from marching and sprinting and they couldn’t wait until they reached the next rest area. Eliezer showed an example of a positive mindset by relating himself to the “masters of the world” and he showed himself that he had strength to be a Holocaust survivor. Furthermore, the text states, “I shall never know. All I can say is that I won. I succeeded in digging a hole through this wall of dying people, a little hole through which I could drink in a small quantity of air” (Wiesel 90). In the barracks, people were shoved in and packed very tightly together. It didn’t matter if they were dead or alive. This statement proves that Eliezer was desperate to do anything to get fresh air in order to live while they were packed tightly on the carts, even if he was putting holes through dead and weak people. The text stated, “The battle did not last long. Toward noon, everything was quiet again. The SS had fled and the resistance had taken charge of the running of the camp. At about six o’clock in the evening, the first American tank stood at the gates of Buchenwald”