Reflection: the Holocaust and Young Boy

Personal Reflection – Chapter 4 Regarding the sad memoir of Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, Night has had a massive impact on my understanding of the book. Eliezer’s struggle with his faith is a dominant conflict in Night. At the beginning of the memoir, his faith in God is absolute. His belief in an omnipotent, benevolent God is unconditional, and he cannot imagine living without faith. The book tells me about what happened in the holocaust from a first-hand account of a real holocaust survivor. It tells me what happened to the Jewish race, how they were treated, and ultimately, what evil can make a person turn into, emotionally and physically. It forces me to see how evil many people were and, unfortunately, many still are. His age is around the same as us, making the story more relatable, and not too graphic, so we can feel the emotions that Elie was feeling. Changes in his character are a result, as well. Changes in Elie Wiesel’s character were caused by the events of the Holocaust. Wiesel stated that he found "the soup excellent one evening" (60), after witnessing some hangings of adult prisoners. He did not care that they were hung. The adults lived their life. The death of the pipel resulted in a different reaction in Elie’s character. The pipel was a young boy. It's a heinous sight as it is to see a young child killed before a person's eyes. When Wiesel saw him die, he felt bad and sorrowful. How can an innocent child commit such a crime to be punished so severely? "To hang a young boy in front of thousands of spectators was no light matter. The head of the camp read the verdict. All eyes were on the child. He was lividly pale, almost calm, biting his lips. The gallows threw its shadow over him"(61). Wiesel felt horribly bad that a child died for something he did not understand and perhaps did not commit. His mind and soul was poisoned.