Night Elie Wiesel Quote Analysis

“One day I was able to get up, after gathering all my strength … from the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me. The look … has never left me" (Wiesel 115). Elie Wiesel, a well known Holocaust survivor and activist, uses graphic, meaningful quotes to bring importance and raise awareness on the wrongdoings of the Holocaust and other human rights atrocities. He dims light in this quote, by recounting the night a couple days after his camp became liberated in ninety forty-five. This is where he first gazes his reflection, since his family were at the ghettos. These last lines leave the reader with a sense of hopelessness for the innocence he has lost. Not only Elie, but many Holocaust survivors lost a sense of innocence in some sort

Wiesel consults with his father about whether or not he should give up his crown and his father responds with “No, my son. We cannot do this,” accepting any consequences that come after (Wiesel 55). When Wiesel refuses, Franek comes after Shlomo. Franek then sought the opportunity to “torment” and “thrash [Shlomo] savagely,” on a daily basis (Wiesel 55). This shows the father and son relationship between Elie and Shlomo because Shlomo is willing to get beaten, so that his son does not have to suffer by getting his tooth taken out. Shlomo’s sacrifices for Elie later causes internal conflict in the memoir. As the Holocaust persists and the conditions continue to intensify, Elie's father becomes weak and there is a role reversal between the two men. Elie now has to sacrifice for his father, so Shlomo can proceed forward. This only leads to resentment growing towards his father, leading to internal conflict. When Shlomo became the victim of one of Idek’s wrafts, Elie just watched without moving. He even felt “angry” that his father could not “avoid Idek’s wrath,” showing that Elie’s indignant towards his father (Wiesel 54). At one point Elie even wishes he did not find his dad, so he

In Night Elie Wiesel begins at the concentration camp as a young teenage boy only fifteen years old where he has to view and endure the horrendous trauma of the war. Elie has to witness gruesome events unfold, as now that is where he was living and he has to confine to the rules. In a specific example, Elie witnesses as SS officers place “nooses around [the] necks” of a child and two other men. As they tip over the chairs and the horrific images of their “tongues hanging out … swollen and bluish” appear, as well as the lonesome child, “lingering between life and death” remains into his memory forever (Wiesel 64). After witnessing such horrendous acts, Elie’s innocence is completely lost. Not only that, but on many occasions Elie is treated with cruel punishment, such as violence for something he might have not done right. Idek once took his fury out on Elie and began to throw “violent blows” and “ [threw] him to the ground,” beginning to“crush” him, until he was “in blood” (Wiesel 53). These despicable actions and cruel punishment will have a toll on anyone if they continue to experience it everyday, which is exactly what happens to Wiesel and becomes a huge reminder on how he lost his innocence. These actions all led up to Wiesel changing as a character in his memoir and in real