Analyzing Night by Elie Wiesel
Analyzing Night
Wiesel’s choice of diction in a passage from his devastating novel, Night, reveals his tone towards joy and celebration during the hopeless times of the Holocaust. By using the word “mirage,” he has implied that the Jewish inhabitants of the concentration camp have created an internal fantasy where things are improved and a positive aura resides. Holidays are meant to be a time of happiness; therefore, Wiesel uses a word with a positive connotation to highlight that for us. Furthermore, a mirage defines something that, in reality, does not exist. This definition is true to the word’s use because we as the readers know that the joy of the Jewish New Year was simply masking the daily terror and misery of life in a concentration camp.
I believe that Elie Wiesel broke his silence about his Holocaust experience because he remembered all of the people that had stayed silent while immoral and corrupted things were happening directly in front of them. One instance of staying silent is shown in his biography when Moshe the Beadle and other foreign Jews are being taken away and someone behind him speaks about it as if it is not their problem to worry about, dismissing the issue. We as readers are disturbed by that, but it happened daily while World War I was happening in Germany. Another time that Wiesel speaks about silence is when his father is stricken by an SS officer. His tone during this passage is hauntingly numb with a twinge of remorse. Wiesel looks back on this time with regret, which could’ve been an influencing factor in his decision to write this novel.
I believe that this book is entitled Night because the night is dark and dimly lit and creeps up gradually, taking you by surprise. Wiesel often uses the word night throughout his book, beginning its usage around the time that the Jews in the ghetto find out that they are being deported from their homes. Night is clearly used as a metaphor all throughout the novel, describing the veil of
Wiesel’s choice of diction in a passage from his devastating novel, Night, reveals his tone towards joy and celebration during the hopeless times of the Holocaust. By using the word “mirage,” he has implied that the Jewish inhabitants of the concentration camp have created an internal fantasy where things are improved and a positive aura resides. Holidays are meant to be a time of happiness; therefore, Wiesel uses a word with a positive connotation to highlight that for us. Furthermore, a mirage defines something that, in reality, does not exist. This definition is true to the word’s use because we as the readers know that the joy of the Jewish New Year was simply masking the daily terror and misery of life in a concentration camp.
I believe that Elie Wiesel broke his silence about his Holocaust experience because he remembered all of the people that had stayed silent while immoral and corrupted things were happening directly in front of them. One instance of staying silent is shown in his biography when Moshe the Beadle and other foreign Jews are being taken away and someone behind him speaks about it as if it is not their problem to worry about, dismissing the issue. We as readers are disturbed by that, but it happened daily while World War I was happening in Germany. Another time that Wiesel speaks about silence is when his father is stricken by an SS officer. His tone during this passage is hauntingly numb with a twinge of remorse. Wiesel looks back on this time with regret, which could’ve been an influencing factor in his decision to write this novel.
I believe that this book is entitled Night because the night is dark and dimly lit and creeps up gradually, taking you by surprise. Wiesel often uses the word night throughout his book, beginning its usage around the time that the Jews in the ghetto find out that they are being deported from their homes. Night is clearly used as a metaphor all throughout the novel, describing the veil of