Elie Wiesel's Hangings

Prisoners in concentration camps committed small acts of rebellion against the Holocaust that outlived the guards and the Nazis. Even though their acts could not save their lives, they sparked questions that the survivors, such as Elie Wiesel, could recall years after the Holocaust ended.

In the memoir, Wiesel remembers a hanging that took place. As the first victim was about to be meet his fate, he shouted out his last words “Long live liberty! My curse on Germany! My curse! My-“ before he could finish his sentence, the Germans let him hang. The death of the unnamed prisoner may not have been important to the prisoners under the circumstances, we see this in a quote from Juliek, another prisoner, “This ceremony, will it be over soon?

I’m hungry…” The prisoners had become so accustomed to death that it did not phase them anymore, instead it was just another daily event that took place.
The actual striking part of the hangings was not the first prisoner though, but the second described.

The second prisoner was a young boy who was being hanged for the fact that he stole weapons during a power failure. The significance of this particular hanging was the young boy’s lack of rebellion, his quiet fear and the unbearable duration of his torment. The boy had lost all hope and was one of the only victims who wept at the knowledge of their demise. What made this case different from the rest was not only his youth, but also his silence, and emotion and the fact that it took a half an hour for him to die, as a result of the lightness of his young body. Even though he was constantly tortured and provoked by the guards before he was hanged, he still said nothing, unlike the two people who joined him, who both shouted in defiance. His quiet courage really stood out as an unspoken and unannounced rebellion not only for the Jews, but it showed the doubts that some of the guards began to have. “This time, the Lagerkapo refused to act as executioner.” Although this quote is one sentence it still shows the effect the boy had on everyone in the camp. Even though the prisoners had been living with the constant presence of death, the execution of this young boy made them feel emotion they believed they had lost forever. This death was an unsaid act of rebellion in the sense that it showed the audience that there was indeed still some sensitivity left no matter how much both the prisoners and the guards were dehumanized: the prisoners as merely a number, and the guards as ruthless

machines.
These two depictions of death -- the defiant and the resigned -- were vital in telling the true story of Night because of the significant effect they had on Elie Wiesel, the prisoners around him, and the guards. Prisoners made more subtle expressions of humanity and defiance as well. Another, yet more symbolic, act of defiance that took place was one that the simple musician Juliek committed.
Juliek was a young man who clung so desperately to his violin that he brought it with him during a “death march”. His love for the violin had a profound effect on Elie. After days of running in the harsh cold, where every single prisoner witnessed death only a few feet away from them, and were scared that if they were to fall asleep they would never wake up, through all of that pain, he still carried his violin. When Elie and the rest of them finally decided they could rest for at least a couple of minutes, Juliek did the opposite. Just as Elie was beginning to fall asleep he started to hear something that he could of never expected, Juliek playing the violin. This act showed Juliek’s love for his violin and his ability to find peace using it because although he had horrid circumstances he was able to focus his mind on the music rather than the fear of what was going to happen next. Juliek played Beethoven, this was so significant because the Germans didn’t allow German music to be played. It was Juliek’s last act of defiance against their oppressors. Even though the act was completely different from every other rebellious act committed, it was just as meaningful and important. “The darkness enveloped us. All I could hear was the violin, and it was as if Juliek’s soul had become his bow. He was playing his life. His whole being was gliding over the strings. His unfulfilled hopes. His charred past, his extinguished future. He played that which he would never play again.” This was Juliek’s last goodbye, other prisoners stayed alive for family members or friends, he stayed for his music so of course the way to end it all was a goodbye concert from him to the suffering around him.
These acts, although different, still had a powerful impact on Wiesel, so powerful that Elie was able to describe these events in great detail years after they occurred. They were necessary in telling the story of the Holocaust because it showed how horrible the camps really were and that the prisoners would try anything to escape, both mentally and physically. Any act of defiance can make a person feel as if they have more control of their situation and help preserve their humanity. Although these small acts could not really save them, they still made everyone in the camps feel emotions they thought were gone.