Elie Weisel Finds Injustice during His Time in Concentration Camps

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Young children are not born with the ability to understand the complexity and absolute truth of justice. Elie Weisel tells his own story, starting at age twelve, of his treatment and survival in the Nazi Germany Concentration Camps in his novel, Night. Living in Sighet, Transylvania (modern day Romania) suddenly halted for Elie and his family when they were deported and taken to the Nazi Germany Concentration Camps during World War II. There, Elie was faced with a daily struggle to survive, separated from his mother and sisters, living only for his father. During his time in the Nazi Germany Concentration Camps, Elie Weisel discovered the true meaning of justice while suffering loathsome treatment and absolute injustice at the hands of Nazi soldiers, shown through the soldiers’ violence and disregard for humanity. Elie Weisel and his family, taken from their home along with hundreds of other Jews from their hometown, were brought to Nazi Germany’s Concentration Camps. “From this moment, you come under the command of the German army…any of you who is later found to have kept anything will be shot on the spot,” (Weisel 15). Even prior to entering Birkenau, Auschwitz, or Burma, the prisoners were forced to give up all belongings under the threat of death. In a godless and unloving environment, a twelve-year-old Elie must now survive against all odds in a concentration camp. “You’re going to be burned. Frizzled away. Turned into ashes,” (Weisel 20). Adolph Hitler had no concern for the Jew’s basic human rights and swore that he would kill them all. The Jews had done nothing to hurt or overthrow Hitler, but they still became the target of his wrath. During his time at camp, Elie searches for a little justice through all of the injus... ... middle of paper ... ...earching to understand justice, through the Nazi Concentration Camps, he did. The injustices and positively atrocious treatment of Elie and the other Jews became a clear corollary to Elie’s understanding of justice. His knowledge, as the author and protagonist, shapes the entire basis of his memoir Night. As Elie worked to survive Birkenau, Auschwitz, and Burma his view of justice changed the perspective he had on life. This understanding and viewpoint influences a reader’s comprehension and analyzation of Night. As Elie matures, his concept of justice and his understanding of the lack of equity shown by Hitler and the Nazi leaders towards the Jews matures greatly, causing him successfully to find the injustice in the concentration camps. Works Cited Wiesel, Elie, and Helen Colijn. Night and related readings. New York, N.Y.: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2000. Print.

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