Essay, Research Paper
Elie Wiesel wrote in a mystical and existentialistic manner to depict his life as a victim of the holocaust in his many novels. Such selections as ?Night? and ?The Trial of God? reveal the horrors of the concentration camps and Wiesel’s true thoughts of the years of hell that he encountered. This hell that Wiesel wrote about was released later in his life due to his shock, sadness, and disbelief. Elie Wiesel spoke in third person when writing his stories. Unlike other Holocaust stories, Wiesel gave not only the facts but also the horrific and realistic feelings of a victim in the camps. All of Elie Wiesel?s novels were based on his life.
At the age of 15, Eliezer Wiesel and his family were placed into concentration camps in Auschwitz. Wiesel accompanied his family for most of the time in the camps. He parted from his mother and sister Tzipora early in life and lived with his father during the years of the Holocaust. During his time in the concentration camps, Wiesel endured tons of pain. When he first reached the concentration camp Eliezer Wiesel witnessed the most disturbing thing. Tons of babies were being thrown into the air and shot to death. ?As they marched closer and closer to the ditch, Eliezer decided that rather then let himself be thrown into the fire, he would try to break away and throw himself against the electrified fence that surrounded the camp.? (Pariser 23) It was at
that point that Elie and his father knew that they were going to experience the worst years of their life. On April 11, 1945, the two were free from the concentration camp. He was silent for many years and chose not to speak of his suffering. Eventually he spoke and made a pact that he would never be silent again. Eliezer Wiesel stated, “And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation.? (Pariser 40) And Mr. Wiesel wasn?t.
Among those novels that Wiesel wrote, the one that captured the most attention was Night. Night was one of Eliezer Wiesel?s greatest novels. Night is the true story of his experiences in the concentration camps. Some of the main characters in Night were real people in Wiesel?s life. Wiesel is called by his first name Elie in this story. In the beginning of the story, Elie speaks of his Jewish mysticism teacher Moshe the Beadle who is a poor Jew in the town of Sighet. Moshe plays an important role on Elie Wiesel?s life. Everything that Moshe teaches young Elie represents the faith and beliefs that he used to have in the Jewish religion. Elie?s father Chlomo is highly looked upon in the Jewish community of Sighet and by his son. Together, Elie and his father try to survive the horrors of the concentration camps. Night takes place during World War 2 (1941-1945) in a little town in Transylvania called Sighet. Elie and his father travel through several different concentration camps during the story: Auschwitz, Berkenau, Buna, Gleiwitz, and Buchenwald. The main conflict in Night is Elie?s struggle for survival in the concentration camps and his struggle for his father to survive with him. Several different themes present themselves in this story. The biggest theme is the relationship between father and son. The book follows both Elie and his father?s imprisonments
within the Concentration camps. Another theme is man?s relationship with God. Elie contemplates the existence of God quite frequently throughout the novel especially in the quote,
?Yes, man is very strong, greater than God. When You were deceived by Adam and Eve, You drove them out of Paradise. When Noah?s generation displeased You, You brought down the Flood. When Sodom no longer found favor in Your eyes, You made the sky rain down fire and sulfur. But these men here, who You have betrayed, who You have allowed to be tortured, butchered, gassed, burned, what do they do? They pray before You! They praise Your name!? (Wiesel 64)
In this quote, little Elie does not understand why God helped the Jews in previous situations but not when they needed Him the most. Silence is also an important theme. Elie and his father realized that silence was the only way to survive. Another entity that was silent was God. God had done nothing to help the Jews. The events that occurred in the holocaust were so horrible that people remained silent for many years after the war.
Wiesel’s writing style makes his novels, a mixture of biography and fiction, interesting to read to anyone that picks up his books. The stories themselves, however, are often obscure and stubbornly depressing. The narrator of his novels (himself) refuses to admit any happiness to his life, even when it is quite possible to do so. The books that Elie Wiesel wrote were very easy to picture because of how articulate his writing style was. The story line went from one event to the next. ?Through his fiction,
prose poems, essays, and dramas, he has attempted to reconcile the evil of Nazi
Germany and the apparent indifference of God, thereby reaffirming his life and faith.? (Marowski 449) Most of Elie Wiesel?s novels were written in a lyrical and impressionistic prose style. His novels are said to ?explore fate and the effect of the Holocaust upon present experience?. (Marowski 550) The characters in his novels represent people in his own life.
Elie Wiesel wrote in an existentialistic and individualistic fashion when writing his novels. Existentialism is the 20th century philosophical idea that embraces diversity but concentrates on individual existence and of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for the trouble they are forced into Most of the time the because of the lack of knowledge one has about the future. Also in existentialism, just so one survives…one may abandon their loved ones. For example, in Night, Elie represents a sort of existentialistic way of life by abandoning his father in order to survive in the end. In the beginning of the novel, it becomes very apparent that Elie and his father have no idea what lies ahead but unfortunately they are both forced into the terror of the concentration camps. In Night the young boy is told this: ?Listen to me, boy. Don?t forget that you?re in a concentration camp. Here, every man has to fight for himself and no think of anyone else. Even of his father.? (Wiesel 105) This quote represents the existentialist ideal that in assuring one?s own survival, one may have to betray their friends and family. The main characteristics of individualism is the basic idea that individual human life is the ultimate value or the standard value, otherwise put, one is in it for himself. This ideal is very similar to one of an existentialistic point of view. An
Premacexample of this is in Night, Eliezer begins to want to live by his own values and morals
when he realizes that his father might be on the verge of death. He contemplates whether he should be there for his father or give up. He has taken an individualistic approach to the matter. ?Don?t let me find him! If only I could rid of this dead weight, so that I could use all my strength to struggle for my own survival, and only worry about myself.? (Wiesel 101) Should he worry about his life or his fathers?
In another literature document by Wiesel, ?The Trial of God? (a short play) displays a different fashion of his writing known as mysticism. ?Mysticism is the non judgmental reproof of villains, mercy on people who do good, honesty, uncompromising compassion for those in pain, concentration on the good in villains, mercy toward all, and understanding of other human beings.? (Schuman 34) An example of this is in ?The Trial of God? where a group of friends come upon an understanding of friendship and concern on the validity of God?s word. They put God on trial and ask him where he was during the Jew?s greatest hour of need. Berish says, “God?? ?Don?t you think its His business as well? Don?t you think that whether you pray or not is also His concern?? says Mendel. Berish replies angrily, “Don’t you think He can handle his own affairs? Do you think He needs you to represent Him?? Maria then says. (Wiesel 53) These series of conversation represent the understanding and the respect that the groups of friends have for one another. Also denial and forgiveness are both shown within this dialogue.
Mr. Wiesel’s goal in his writings has mainly been to educate others on the horrows of the Holocaust and of Jews around the world. Through the relating of his own experiences, he hopes to make people aware of the injustice going on around them,
therefore preventing what happened during World War II from occuring again. In 1986, Elie Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in improving the living conditions, and promoting the understanding and global acceptance of Jews. For this same reason, Mr. Wiesel was presented with an Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1992. Elie Wiesel changed America?s view of the Holocaust for good. No longer were publishers as hesitant to take on this tale that depicted humanity at worst. In fact, it is said that some credit Night as the book that altered the attitudes of people in America about the Holocaust.
Work Cited Page
Lang, Anson. ?A Conversation With Elie Wiesel.? Bold Type 2 Jan. 1999. 17 Mar. 2002
.
Marowski, Daniel G. ?Elie(zer) Wiesel.? Contemporary Literary Criticism. Volume 37.
Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1986. Pages 449, 450.
Mass, Wendy. Readings On Night. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 2000. Pages
13-24.
Pariser, Michael. Elie Wiesel. Brookfield: The Millbook Press, 1994.
Riemer, Jack. ?Miracle of Friendship and Hope.? Commonweal. May 25, 1979: Page
316-318; excerpted and reprinted in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Volume
37. Daniel Marowski. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1986. Pages 451, 452.
Schuman, Michael A. Elie Wiesel: Voice From the Holocaust. Hillside: Enslow
Publishers, Inc., 1994. Pages 23-25.
Stern, Ellen Norman. Elie Wiesel: A Voice for Humanity. Philadelphia: The Jewish
Publication Society, 1996.
Wiesel, Elie. And the Sea is Never Full. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999. Page 12.
Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Bantam Books, 1960.
Wiesel, Elie. The Night Trilogy. New York: The Noonday Press, 1985.
Другие работы по теме:
Faith In Night Essay Research Paper FaithFaith
Faith In Night Essay, Research Paper Faith Faith, it is what some people grasp on to in the time of despair. For Elie Wiesel faith was a hard thing to keep a hold of. Elie was in some situations that made him lose his faith in God. After the experiences Elie lived through will he ever regain his faith for God?
Literary Insperation Of The Holocaust Essay Research
Paper Why do the survivors of such a tragic event such as the Holocaust want to remember those horrifying times by writing about memories that most people would only want to forget? I will show, Weisel has talked about, and as others have written, that the victims of the holocaust wrote about their experiences not only to preserve the history of the event, but so that those who were not involved and those who did survive can understand what really happened.
Night By Ellie Wiesel Essay Research Paper
“How did Wiesel s belief in God change through his camp experiences?” Why do people s beliefs change? What would cause a strong believer in God to no longer acknowledge his existence? These changes could be a result of things experienced in a person s life. In Elie Wiesel s book, Night, Elie loses his faith in God because he experienced firsthand the Nazi death camp horrors.
Women In The Holocaust Essay Research Paper
Women and the Holocaust Women Struggle More Horrid Experiences Then Men The holocaust can be described as one of the darkest eras in human existence, and the greatest crime imposed upon people by people. The holocaust, which was a product of Hitler s Nazi Germany, is an event that people have viewed from different perspectives.
The Holocaust Essay Research Paper
"If we were not an eternal people before, we are an eternal people after the Holocaust, in both its very positive and very negative sense. We have not only survived, we have revived
Affirming Man
’s Dignity Essay, Research Paper Affirming Man’s Dignity Only three million Jews lived through the World War II, and some of them were now the strongest men alive. Among these people, Elie Wiesel and Viktor Frankl were two victims, who now lived and passed their experiences of themselves being to several concentration camps and finally survived.
Elie Wiesel Essay Research Paper Eliezer Wiesel
Elie Wiesel Essay, Research Paper Eliezer Wiesel was born in 1928, a native of Sighet, Transylvania (Romania) which is near the Ukrainian border; He grew up experiencing first-hand the horrors of the Holocaust, this started when at fifteen years old Wiesel and his family were deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz.
Elie WieselS Night Essay Research Paper Wiesels
Elie Wiesel`S Night Essay, Research Paper Wiesel?s Night is about what the Holocaust did, not just to the Jews, but, by extension, to humanity. The disturbing disregard for human beings, or the human body itself, still to this day, exacerbates fear in the hearts of men and women. The animalistic act by the Nazis has scarred mankind eternally with abhorrence and discrimination; as a result, acts of bigotry continue to infest society into the 21st century.
Do You Have A Voice Essay Research
Paper Would you just stand by, as Nazis soldiers kidnapped your neighbors just because they were different? If you would, you have no voice and you need to develop one. Many people had neighbors who were taken away and killed by the Nazis. They just stood there, let it happen and did not utter a word. In the book, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by, Mark Twain, it shows the development of a young boy, and he does develop a voice.
Elie Wiesel Essay Research Paper To hate
Elie Wiesel Essay, Research Paper ?To hate would be to reduce myself? is what Elie Wiesel told Opera in an interview. After all Wiesel had been through during the holocaust, he could not bring himself to hate. He demonstrates his respect for all human kind through his written work and public speeches; he understands the key interactions needed to make a society run. ?Someone who hates one group will end up hating everyone ? and, ultimately, hating himself or herself.? By following this statement Elie Wiesel came to terms with the atrocities that were brought down upon him and lives his life with compassion today.
Elie Wiesel Research Project Essay Research Paper
ELIE WIESEL RESEARCH PROJECT Elie Wiesel was born in the town of Sighet in northern Transylvania on September 30, 1928. His real name was Eliezer Wiesel. His family spoke Yiddish at home; they read newspapers and conducted their grocery business in German. Elie had begun religious studies in classical Hebrew almost as soon as he could speak.
The Night Essay Research Paper The NightIn
The Night Essay, Research Paper The Night In the book The Night, written by Elie Wiesel, a quote that made me realize the horror people went through in the Holocaust was, “For more than half an hour he stayed there, struggling between life and death, dying in slow agony under our eyes. And we had to look him full in the face.
Dawn Elie Wiesel Essay Research Paper Elie
Dawn Elie Wiesel Essay, Research Paper Elie Wiesel?s, Dawn Elie Wiesel was only fifteen when German troops deported him and his family from their home in Romania to the concentration camp, Auschwitz. His father, mother and younger sister all died in result to the hands of the Nazis. The young boy survived forced labor, forced marches, starvation, disease, beatings and torture to become a world-renowned writer, teacher and spokesmen for the oppressed peoples of the earth.
Dawn By Elie Wiesel Essay Research Paper
Dawn by Elie Wiesel In this report you will see the comparisons between the novel Dawn and the life of Elie Wiesel, its author. The comparisons are very visible once you learn about Elie Wiesel?s life.
Elie Weisel Night Essay Research Paper The
Elie Weisel Night Essay, Research Paper The advice the young polish prisoner gave seemed to be very sound advice. He told them that they needed to remember they were all in it together, and that they had to help each other out when they could. He also told them not to loss hope, they needed to have the faith to keep going everyday.
Night 2 Essay Research Paper NightThe book
Night 2 Essay, Research Paper Night The book Night, by Elie Wiesel, is an autobiography about his experiences during the Holocaust. The story takes place in the 1940 s. The main characters are Elie and his father. Other characters are Elie s mother and sister.
Holocaust Essay Research Paper In Memory
Holocaust Essay, Research Paper In Memory of the Holocaust In Germany during World War II, 6 million Jews were exterminated by Nazis. Exterminated means to be destroyed completely. Extermination, however, is usually only enacted only upon animals. Sadly, the Jews were treated like pesky animals, and the Germans were the self-apointed exterminators.
Night By Elie Wisel Essay Research Paper
In Night by Elie Wiesel, their are several instances of public hangings. Elie feels different about hanging the three men who steal soup, and the sad eyed angel. The public
Night By Elie Weisel2 Essay Research Paper
Night by Elie Weisel To suffer, as defined in the dictionary, means to undergo or feel pain or great distress.Another way to say it is to sustain injury, disadvantage, or loss. And yet another way to definesuffering is to say to endure or be afflicted with something temporary or chronically. If they wereto ask Elie Wiesel what his definition of suffering was, he would have a lot to say and what hetold them would be more horrible than their wildest dreams.
Night 3 Essay Research Paper Night by
Night 3 Essay, Research Paper Night by Elie Wiesel Hitler won t be able to do us any harm, even if he wants to. So begins the book, Night, by Elie Wiesel an autobiographical work about Elie s struggle to survive the Holocaust while living at multiple concentration camps. Beginning at age 15, Elie Wiesel moves from a young man questioning the accounts of German hatred, to becoming a witness of many inhumane acts brought upon people.
Similarities And Differences Of
“survival In Aushchwitz” And “night” Essay, Research Paper Primo Levi and Elie Wiesel: Similarities and Differences in Telling About the Holocaust The Holocaust was a horrific time in history; and those who survived it, will never forget it. Elie Wiesel and Primo Levi are two survivors of the Holocaust and both have made the decision to educate and write about the Holocaust.
Night Essay Research Paper There are many
Night Essay, Research Paper There are many themes in the novel Night, by Elie Wiesel; some of these include loss of faith, father-son relationships, food and hunger, and disbelief. One of the most interesting theme is the father-son relationship. This theme can be seen throughout the novel with many fathers and sons.
My Thoughts On The Holocaust Essay Research
Paper My Thoughts on the Holocaust Over the course of this year we have studied everything from the theories of Utilitarianism to the rise of current U.S. Democracy. We as a class have highlighted and discussed many of the problems of political thought. It is extremely interesting to me how the most problematic issue related to political thought in my opinion was the last topic we discussed.
Night Essay Research Paper NightBy Elie WieselIn
Night Essay, Research Paper Night By Elie Wiesel In Elie Wiesel’s Night, he recounts his horrifying experiences as a Jewish boy under Nazi control. His word are strong and his message clear. Wiesel uses themes such as hunger and death to vividly display his days during World War II. Wiesel’s main purpose is to describe to the reader the horrifying scenes and feelings he suffered through as a repressed Jew.
Night Elie Wiesel Essay Research Paper NightIn
Night Elie Wiesel Essay, Research Paper Night In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, it talks about the holocaust and what it was like being in it. The Germans were trying to make the German race the supreme race. To do this they were going to kill off everyone that wasn t a German. If you were Jewish or something other than German, you would have been sent to a concentration camp and segregated by men and women.
Night By Elie Wiesel 2 Essay Research
Paper Summary Night is a powerful, brilliantly written autobiography of a concentration camp survivor. Wiesel saw his family, friends, and fellow Jews degraded and murdered. Wiesel also says that his God, to whom he was so devoted, was also “murdered” by the Nazis. In the novel, Wiesel changed from a devout Jew to a broken young man who doubted his belief in God.
Summary Night By Elie Wiesel Essay Research
Paper Summary: Night by Elie Wiesel Wiesel’s Night is about what the Holocaust did, not just to the Jews, but by extension, to humanity. People all over the world were devastated by this atrocious act, and
The Most Devastating Choice Made In The
Book Night By Elie Wiesel Essay, Research Paper The most devastating choice made in Night was the decision not to flee Sighet. They had the chance but Elie s father did not want to take the chance of nothing bad happening and, he was to old and did not want to begin a new life. He thought that nothing would or could happen.
Elie
’s Wiesel And Night Essay, Research Paper Elie’s Wiesel and Night Do you see that chimney over there? See it? Do you see those flames? Over there- that’s where you’re going to be taken. That’s your grave, over there. Haven’t
Night By Elie Wiesel Report Essay Research
Paper During extreme times a person can survive. One could look at NIGHT by Elie Wiesel. We can see many different people in the book fighting to survive. By examining Elie and his father one can see details of people fighting to survive.
Night Essay Research Paper NIGHT BY ELIE
Night Essay, Research Paper ?NIGHT ? BY ELIE WIESEL ESSAY BY NATHAN SHAPIRO As you read on you will be reading about my opinions on what kind of nonfiction writing is in this book ?Night? by elie Wiesel. Further more everything in this might not all
Night Essay Essay Research Paper The Absence
Night Essay Essay, Research Paper The Absence of Knowledge Night Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into a long night never shall I forget that smoke Night doesn t always represent the absence of light, but is a symbol for the absence of knowledge. Elie Wiesel s book Night is a true account of what the Holocaust did, not only to many Jews but to humanity as well.
Cynthia Ozick Essay Research Paper Cynthia Ozick
Cynthia Ozick Essay, Research Paper Cynthia Ozick was an American short story writer, novelist, essayist, poet, and translator. She considers herself an American Jewish writer. Cynthia Ozick was a writer of fiction and non-fiction, but did not bloom her career until she was 32 years old. Her literary hero was Henry James.
Three Aspects Of
“Night” By Elie Wiesel, Using Tone Mood And Literary Language Essay, Research Paper Night by Elie Wiesel is an autobiographical novel recording Mr. Wiesel?s experiences during the World War II holocaust. As a 15 year old boy Elie was torn from his home and placed in a concentration camp. He and his father were separated from his mother and his sisters.