Night, written by Ellie Wiesel, is written by an author in first person; detailing their haunting experience in concentration camps during the Holocaust. He and his father embarked on a deadly and involuntary journey, moving from one death camp to another. Throughout the book, the author provides numerous anecdotes that provide the reader with an image of what these concentration camps were really like. Throughout the book, the author shares personal accounts of what it was like to really be living in a concentration camp. The author had a direct purpose through sharing these ideas; what was it really like to live in this period of time?
This story chronologically goes in order of what kind of atrocities a teen, or anyone for that matter, would have endured during this period of time. The book follows a young boy as he navigates through the atrocities that were enacted upon his people. Although, for me, the Holocaust seemed to be a tremendous part of my upbringing due to being on the East Coast where many survivors settled; each account seems to be another reminder of the demoralization of these people.
Save your time!
We can take care of your essay
- Proper editing and formatting
- Free revision, title page, and bibliography
- Flexible prices and money-back guarantee
This story does a really exceptional job of portraying the fear Jewish people had of being sent to the Crematorium, to me, it really exhibits the idea of constantly living in “flight for life.” Being a parent myself, it was quite emotional to read about the pain this boy and his family were forced to endure. Then further into the book, it was even more painful to read the contempt people had for the ‘weak’ as they saw them as a burden upon themselves. It was a direct reflection of not only taking humanity away from these people but taking humanity away as a whole.
I feel that this book was answered in personal and historical chronological order. It contained autobiographical and historical context and was related to the writer experiencing his own story within the timeline of what was occurring during the Holocaust. This means that more than just being historical this book is raw and real.
The book begins in 1941 in Wiesle’s hometown, Sighet. It talks about the beginning stages of how the Jews were treated until the period when they were forced to live in one or two of the Sighet Ghettos. After the Ghettos were closed down Wiesel and his Dad were shipped off to Auschwitz. At this point, his mother and one sister attempted to survive the gas chamber but one of his sisters was not so lucky. After this Wiesel and his father also spent time in Birkenau and Monowitz. In 1945 they were transferred to Buchenwald, where on April 11, 1945, Wiesel would be liberated by Americans. Sadly, his father passed away shortly before he could be liberated.
Since this book is written about the author's experience, it shares tons of information about not only the author but his family and his experiences. The book opens sharing where the author is from, Sighet, Hungarian Transylvania. It talks about his interest and pursuit of studying the Torah and the Cabbala. It also shares where his family went and endured during the Holocaust. The book also talks about an injury the author received while in the camp.
This book follows Wiesel from his hometown to internment camps, to the liberation of his camo by the Americans as he is no longer the many he once was. Night touches on not only Wiesel but his family as well. It is raw and shocking the pain and heartache that Wiesel and the others had to endure.
Once this assignment was mentioned; I knew I would choose this book as I had it at home and have yet to read it. Also, I have always had a fascination with the Holocaust and how something so horrible could have happened on such a large scale. I knew that I wanted to read something based on the Holocaust, and some of my favorite things to read are first-hand accounts that share people's personal and real experiences so this book fit perfectly with the assignment and my personal interest.
The author said it best; “Only those who experienced Auschwitz know what it was.” That is why first-hand accounts of the Holocaust have always intrigued me. I have read and listened to stories of people who experienced the Holocaust first-hand and the stories never feel “told” out or any less shocking than the first. The night was nothing short of my expectation to yet again be shocked how something so terrible could have happened for so long and on such a large scale. One thing this book touched on, that I really hadn’t heard before; was Wiesel’s honesty and ability to share his discontent and anger for humanity as a whole. He shared that he was almost just an empty shell existing. A good example of this was when his father died, he referred to him as a ‘dead weight’. If you enjoy the Holocaust, I would recommend this book as a great read. It is powerful and deeply moving, and shares the author's personal account of what happened to the Jews during the Holocaust.
Stuck on your essay?
