Night By Elie Wiesel
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Night
Night is a memoir by Elie Wiesel that tells the true story of his experiences as a Jewish teenager during the Holocaust. It begins in 1941 in the town of Sighet, located in what was then Hungary (now Romania). Elie is a deeply religious boy who studies the Talmud and aspires to learn Jewish mysticism. His peaceful life is shattered when the Nazis occupy Hungary in 1944.
At first, the Jewish community of Sighet cannot believe the danger they are in. Even when foreign Jews are deported, or when Moishe the Beadle, a deportee who escapes and returns to warn them of atrocities, no one takes him seriously. The community continues life as usual—until it is too late. One day, the Jews of Sighet are forced into ghettos, and soon after, they are deported to Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration and extermination camp.
On the train ride to Auschwitz, the people are crowded into cattle cars with little food or water. A woman named Madame Schächter screams of fire and furnaces, but the others think she is mad, until they see the smoke rising from the crematoria. Upon arriving at Auschwitz, Elie and his father are separated from his mother and sister, whom he never sees again.
Elie lies about his age, claiming to be 18 instead of 15, to avoid being killed immediately. He and his father are sent to the labor camp of Buna, where they try to survive by doing hard physical labor, staying quiet, and avoiding punishment. Life in the camp is brutal. The prisoners are constantly beaten, starved, and stripped of their identities. Elie is deeply affected by the cruelty, not only from the Nazis but from fellow prisoners who turn against each other to survive.
Elie’s faith in God begins to waver as he witnesses horrific scenes: babies thrown into flames, people dying from hunger, and hangings of fellow prisoners. One especially haunting moment occurs when a young boy is hanged, and someone behind Elie asks, “Where is God?” Elie silently answers, “Where is He? Here He is: He is hanging here on this gallows…” These moments show how Elie’s inner world is changing. His innocence and beliefs are being destroyed by what he sees.
Throughout their time in the camp, Elie and his father depend on each other to stay alive. Elie often feels that his father is the only reason he continues to go on. However, he also begins to feel the strain of survival. At times, he is tempted to let his father die so that he can focus on his own survival, but he never does. He struggles with these feelings and feels guilty for even having them.
Eventually, the Russians begin to approach Auschwitz, and the Nazis force the prisoners on a death march to another camp: Gleiwitz. The journey is long and deadly, taking place in freezing winter conditions. Many prisoners die from exhaustion, cold, or are shot if they fall. Elie and his father manage to survive the march, although they are barely alive. At Gleiwitz, they are again loaded onto a train and sent to Buchenwald, another concentration camp.
By this time, Elie’s father is extremely weak and sick. Elie tries to care for him, but resources are scarce, and the camp’s doctors offer no help. Other prisoners steal from the ill or ignore them. One night, Elie’s father is beaten and taken away, and Elie later discovers that he has died. Elie does not cry. Instead, he feels relief and guilt: relief that he no longer has to care for his father, and guilt for feeling that way.
The book ends shortly after Elie’s father’s death. American forces eventually liberated Buchenwald in April 1945. Elie, now 16, is free, but forever changed. He describes looking in a mirror for the first time since before the camps and seeing not a boy, but a corpse staring back at him. It is a powerful and haunting image of how much he has lost: his family, his faith, and his childhood.
Although the book is short, it is intense and emotionally charged. Some parts are challenging to read, but they are important because they are true. Elie’s words help us remember the millions who died and remind us why kindness, respect, and standing up for others matter so much. Night is not just a history lesson—it’s a reminder of the power of the human spirit in the face of horror.
At first, the Jewish community of Sighet cannot believe the danger they are in. Even when foreign Jews are deported, or when Moishe the Beadle, a deportee who escapes and returns to warn them of atrocities, no one takes him seriously. The community continues life as usual—until it is too late. One day, the Jews of Sighet are forced into ghettos, and soon after, they are deported to Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration and extermination camp.
On the train ride to Auschwitz, the people are crowded into cattle cars with little food or water. A woman named Madame Schächter screams of fire and furnaces, but the others think she is mad, until they see the smoke rising from the crematoria. Upon arriving at Auschwitz, Elie and his father are separated from his mother and sister, whom he never sees again.
Elie lies about his age, claiming to be 18 instead of 15, to avoid being killed immediately. He and his father are sent to the labor camp of Buna, where they try to survive by doing hard physical labor, staying quiet, and avoiding punishment. Life in the camp is brutal. The prisoners are constantly beaten, starved, and stripped of their identities. Elie is deeply affected by the cruelty, not only from the Nazis but from fellow prisoners who turn against each other to survive.
Elie’s faith in God begins to waver as he witnesses horrific scenes: babies thrown into flames, people dying from hunger, and hangings of fellow prisoners. One especially haunting moment occurs when a young boy is hanged, and someone behind Elie asks, “Where is God?” Elie silently answers, “Where is He? Here He is: He is hanging here on this gallows…” These moments show how Elie’s inner world is changing. His innocence and beliefs are being destroyed by what he sees.
Throughout their time in the camp, Elie and his father depend on each other to stay alive. Elie often feels that his father is the only reason he continues to go on. However, he also begins to feel the strain of survival. At times, he is tempted to let his father die so that he can focus on his own survival, but he never does. He struggles with these feelings and feels guilty for even having them.
Eventually, the Russians begin to approach Auschwitz, and the Nazis force the prisoners on a death march to another camp: Gleiwitz. The journey is long and deadly, taking place in freezing winter conditions. Many prisoners die from exhaustion, cold, or are shot if they fall. Elie and his father manage to survive the march, although they are barely alive. At Gleiwitz, they are again loaded onto a train and sent to Buchenwald, another concentration camp.
By this time, Elie’s father is extremely weak and sick. Elie tries to care for him, but resources are scarce, and the camp’s doctors offer no help. Other prisoners steal from the ill or ignore them. One night, Elie’s father is beaten and taken away, and Elie later discovers that he has died. Elie does not cry. Instead, he feels relief and guilt: relief that he no longer has to care for his father, and guilt for feeling that way.
The book ends shortly after Elie’s father’s death. American forces eventually liberated Buchenwald in April 1945. Elie, now 16, is free, but forever changed. He describes looking in a mirror for the first time since before the camps and seeing not a boy, but a corpse staring back at him. It is a powerful and haunting image of how much he has lost: his family, his faith, and his childhood.
Commentary
Night is a heartbreaking and powerful true story about a boy who survives one of the darkest times in history, the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel was only 15 years old when he and his family were taken to concentration camps by the Nazis. In the camps, Elie lost his mother, his sister, his father, and nearly all hope. He faced hunger, cruelty, and death, but he also showed courage and strength. His story helps readers understand what can happen when hate and silence go unchallenged.Although the book is short, it is intense and emotionally charged. Some parts are challenging to read, but they are important because they are true. Elie’s words help us remember the millions who died and remind us why kindness, respect, and standing up for others matter so much. Night is not just a history lesson—it’s a reminder of the power of the human spirit in the face of horror.