Night

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Recommended: Symbolism at night by elie wiesel

"A prolonged whistle split the air. The wheels began to grind. We were on our way" (Wiesel 38). Eliezer has no idea what he is up for, neither does the other 79 people crammed in the cattle car with him. In the unbearable heat of the suffocating air, the poor citizens of Sighet try to calm their thirst and hunger (Wiesel 39-40), unaware of the danger that awaits for them. When they arrive in Birkenau, a concentration camp, the feared selection separates Eliezer and his father from his mother and sister. The struggle begins. Elie and his father endeavor to stick together while enduring through excruciating labor, malnourishment, and pain in concentration camps. From beatings to never-ending threats to such fatigue that Eliezer would rather die than live, World War II turns Elie's world into a living nightmare. However, the Holocaust's tough blade brought Elie's affection, faithlessness, and perseverance to light in Night by Elie Wiesel himself.
After separation from his mother and sister in Birkenau, Eliezer and his father only have each other. Therefore, they develop a mindset to never let the Holocaust separate them, which is where their affection shines through. For example, on page 56, Elie will run to his father if the SS guards place his father in a different group. Eliezer's mass amount of endearment towards his father allows him to gain enought courage to disobey the taunting SS guards and their pointing guns. Eventually, Eliezer's affection leads to protectiveness over his father. "You'll be able to lie down. We'll take turns. I'll watch over you and you'll watch over me. We won't let each other fall asleep. We'll look after each other" (Wiesel 161). By this time, Elie's relationship with his father changes into a peer ...

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... his soul. He believes that he, or anyone in his camp, are not humans anymore. "The student of Talmud, the child I was, had been consumed by the flames. All that was left was a shape that resembled me. My soul had been invaded--and devoured--by a black flame" (Wiesel 66) Faith abandons him, leaving him in a void of pure evil darkness.
In fact, the void of pure evil makes up for the title of Night. Nighttime reflects the Holocaust. Eliezer views this type of night as the lack of faith and humanity. Night, or in this case, the Holocaust, turns into a dark, scary place that forbids any hopes of sunlight. The darkness of the night allows evil to attack a victim without them ever noticing. Eliezer, through surviving the extremities of the obscure darkness, pulls out a more rebellious, enduring, and affectionate person within himself, which his novel Night exemplifies.

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