Like many books on the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel’s Night is a dramatic picture of the horror times in the history of humankind and particularly in the history of the Jewish people. Unlike many other books on the Holocaust, Night impresses with its pessimism and disbelief. While many authors describe the victory of good over evil and relish in the happiness of being freed, Wiesel admits that he has lost his faith and that many of his prior positive opinions ultimately vanished.
The book agrees with my view of the world in that everyone is equal and it is unfair to treat people differently merely because of their nationality or any other peculiarities. Wiesel depicts the shocking things done to the Jews just because someone decided they were worse than others. In my opinion, being a human is, first of all, being compassionate and not indifferent to others’ pains. Wiesel’s father is a good example of this: he “was more involved with the welfare of others than with that of his own kin” (Wiesel 4), he “did not want to discourage the others, to throw salt on their wounds” (Wiesel 11). Even in pain, when “his cheek still bore the red mark of the hand” (Wiesel 39), he says “It doesn’t hurt” (Wiesel 39) to prevent his son from an outbreak of violence, which would lead to bad outcomes. The soldiers and officers, on the opposite, represent everything inhumane there can be: “without passion or haste, they shot their prisoners” (Wiesel 6), “He looked at us as one would a pack of leprous dogs clinging to life” (Wiesel 38). These and many other examples from the book show how important it is always to remain a human and how unjust people can be toward others out of no reason. I think that such unfairness should be eradicated by all possible means.
The book has presented a challenge to my views on religion and faith. The author describes how he had been very interested in religion at first, how he endeavored to understand God’s ways. Later, however, he remarks how he lost his faith, and his words could not leave me unperturbed. He says, “Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes” (Wiesel 34). The author stopped praying and he “was not denying His existence,” but “doubted His absolute justice” (Wiesel 45). The following words had the most dramatic effect on me: “How could I say to Him: Blessed be Thou, Almighty, Master of the Universe, who chose us among all nations to be tortured day and night, to watch as our fathers, our mothers, our brothers end up in the furnaces?” (Wiesel 67). These words evoked a whole set of feelings, and they made me start doubting, which was rather scary. The person’s loss of faith is an utterly crucial thing, for if one loses faith in God, he loses belief in everything.
The book depicts the things that are essential to my family and me, such as love, care, and compassion. It shows how important it is to have faith at least in each other, even if you lose faith in everything else. My community cherishes freedom for everyone, and it is sad to know that there have been times when totally equal people treated each other in a very uneven way.
Elie Wiesel’s Night is a bitter book, but it is the harsh truth about how people have treated other people. Thus, I believe that everyone should read it and contemplate the things depicted therein. Those who think that nothing that terrible happened should see how wrong they have been. Those who assume that the end of the war instantaneously brings blissful happiness and relief should realize that they are not completely right. Everyone can find something challenging in the Night, and this is why I believe everyone should become acquainted with this masterpiece and with other books on the Holocaust. Such things must not be forgotten. We should cherish what we have, and we should learn to be more humane in order not to make all those victims vain.
References
Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006. Print.