Night - the Significance of the Title

S.Soares
ENG2D
Friday, March 12, 2010

Night – The Significance of the Title Night, a memoir by Elie Weisel, is about his survival throughout the Holocaust. He speaks about his life before being forced into a concentration camp and the life changing experiences he endured. Elie, along with his parents and sister, were sent to the German concentration camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. No more than a few hours after the gruesome journey towards their first camp, the men and women were separated and without knowing, Elie took his final glance at his mother and sister. Together, him and his father faced an unbearable amount of torment. This changes Elie as a person, which is why the title “Night” bears a lot of significance. It resembles the dark events in his life that scarred him the most, the effect it had on him, and the change it resulted in.

Elie mentions the word “night” many times in this novel for many different reasons. In the beginning, he did not know what to expect for the future, and had the most time to anticipate what may happen, during the night. It also resembles a very dark and frightening period of time, which is how it felt not knowing where he was headed, since a lot of the transporting was done at night. Also, a lot of events happened during that time, which scarred him for the rest of his life. The night would have dragged on for a very long time with the horrible conditions they were in. In chapter three Elie says: “So many events had taken place in just a few hours that I had completely lost all notion of time. When had we left our homes? One night? One single night?” (37;pt.3) This shows that from the beginning, he had endured more in one night than any human being should ever have to. Also, they were not allowed to carry anything with them so his perception of time quickly began to take place from night to night, based on major events. Another example of this is when Elie begins to wonder: “Once more, the last night. The last night at home, the last night in the ghetto, the last night in the cattle car, and, now, the last night in Buna. How much longer would our be lived from one 'last night' to the next?” (83;pg.5) This quote very briefly shows how long he suffered, to have been transported so many times. In conclusion, it was the nights that impacted him the most and showed how much he had to endure, to have been one of the few to survive in the end.

The title “Night” is also effective because after all that Elie had been through, it ended up having a major impact on his life. Not only that, but it changed who he was as a person. The first night he arrived at the camp in Birkenau had the most traumatic influence on Wiesel. Even though he expected the worst, no one would ever imagine having to witness live babies being thrown into crematoriums. As a result Elie states: “Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed.” (34;pt.3) Even though it has been many years since the Holocaust, he can still clearly remember that night and relives each vivid memory every time he tells the story. Each day and experience he lived through, changed who he was. Elie later realizes this, and states: “The night had passed completely. The morning star shone in the sky. I too had become a different person.” (37;pt.3) Although his journey had not long begun, he had already suffered enough to completely change all aspects of his life. Another example of this is when everyone began to care only for their own survival, and as his father could no longer carry on, Elie started losing track of the only hope and faith that had kept him alive. In conclusion, the suffering that Elie encountered each night, at such a young age, had the greatest influence on him.

At the early age of thirteen, Elie had already formed very strong religious beliefs. During the day he studied the Talmud, which was a teaching of Judaism, and at night he would go to the synagogue to mourn over the destruction of the Temple. Despite his father’s rejections, all he really wanted was a teacher to teach him more about God and His creations. After meeting Moishe the Beadle, Elie expresses his feelings: “I told him how unhappy I was not to be able to find in Sighet a master to teach me the Zohar, the Kabbalistic works, the secrets of Jewish mysticism.” (5;pt.1) This shows that he truly believed in God and strived to strengthen his faith by learning and understanding His teachings. Although after only receiving anguish for having prayed for mercy on him and his family, Elie gradually began to realize he no longer had anything to praise God for. As time went on and his surroundings only got worse, his anger towards God also grew: “Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled.” (67;pt.5) This quote is another important example of how even in such a short period of time, because of all the nights spent in agony; he progressively goes back on all of his beliefs. While others praise and pray before Him, Elie blames God for the fate and betrayal of the Jews. He also thinks that He has punished and abandoned them in their most crucial time of need. Finally, “night” not only brought physical change to Elie’s being but also affected every perspective of his life, including emotionally and spiritually.

Therefore, the title “Night” conveys a deeper message because it changes Elie as a person. The overwhelming amount of distress he was faced with during the Holocaust, and his survival was a crucial part of his life that will always be damaged. “Night” is more than just the title of a book, it represents the events he survived, the effects it had on him and the inner change that he developed.