Death And Loss Of Faith In Elie Wiesel's Night

All three of the Holocaust experiences appeared to be traumatizing and life altering. In Night, the perspective of an actual Holocaust survivor is shown. In the memoir, Elie Wiesel, describes his story in great detail using evidence, metaphors, and other writing techniques. In my eyes, the title “Night” is used to symbolize death and loss of faith (which are two things Elie struggled with). Some examples of the terrible events which surfaced in the night, include Mrs. Schachter’s vivid hallucinations of hell and death, Elie and his dad’s arrival in Auschwitz, and the marches through the night. Further, Elie’s usage of tone is serious and somber, as can be expected. He’s also very mournful as he mourns the loss of his family, childhood and faith. He is very honest and does not try to sugar coat or shy anything away. For example, Elie does not dismiss the fact of guilt he had for his father’s passing, how he did not defend his father when he was beaten, and that he felt he was a burden. However, Elie is not hateful or angry. He stays away from judging or blaming people as it typically triggers more hatred. On the other hand, Night and Fog, was more factual and was not presented through someone’s perspective. The message conveyed in Night and Fog was that concentration camps do not take place in one particular area. Everyone
It was fascinating how many small details Elie remembered from his past and the exact emotions he felt in that time period. I also found it very respectable how grateful Elie was despite the horrific struggles he went through. Elie also does not believe in “collective guilt” because if he did he would hate the German’s children, whom are not killers. Somebody who hates a group, will eventually end up hating everyone and themselves. Lastly, Elie stated that he did not know how he survived the camps, but if it was God who saved him, it would not change the fact God did not save anyone