Introduction
Night, by Elie Wiesel explores the barbarism and despotism in Nazi camps during the World War II, very fine narrative style and obvious theme of nothingness and hollowness of human civilization. Night, by Elie Wiesel is a true picture of Holocaust, developing great interest for the readers who are much interested in such horrific description of stories. The readers are horror-stricken by observing such horrendous scenes of genocide and persecution of Jews, homelessness and wretchedness of people who are deprived of their precious possessions, very depressing state of mind of people.
It is a very appalling situation, depicted in this marvelous piece of fiction where innocent people are victimized of merciless tortures and loss of faith in God in fits of desperation. It is critical interpretation how human civilization leads toward annihilation and extermination of good qualities of human beings like passion of love and pity, intimacy, carefulness, fraternity and peacefulness etc.
“Behind me, I heard the same man asking: Where is God now? And I heard a voice within me answer him:… Here He is – He is hanging here on this gallows.”
Discussion
Wiesel raises a challenging questions about humanity and suffering by depicting such dark aspects of human civilization where darkness is prevailed everywhere and nowhere light of hope is seen under the stress of worst cruelty and brutality. Wiesel narrates his past experiences so vividly that readers are involved deeply, arousing their suspense and curiosity what would happen next! Night, by Elie Wiesel is a masterpiece of factionary story where Wiesel characterizes thoughtful feelings of a young orthodox Jew who was sent with his family to the German, Nazi camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald.
The recurring themes of Night, by Elie Wiesel reflect the poignant feelings of disgust of writer against mankind and gradually his loss of faith in God, helplessness and hopelessness of a child who entirely disgusts with his father s’ moral degradation. He expresses his feelings of repugnance in this way:
“Here there are no fathers, no brothers, no friends,” a Kapo tells him. “Everyone lives and dies for himself alone.”
Night is a very fantastic novel, reflecting Wiesel s’ personal feelings of despair and hatred how Holocaust has left indelible imprints upon his innocent mind.
In Night,” Wiesel said, “I wanted to show the end, the finality of the event. Everything came to an end — man, history, literature, religion, God. There was nothing left. And yet we begin again with night.”
The narrative character of Night, Eliezer is a very devout religious and studious orthodox jewish youngster who engages himself all days and nights in his specific prayers according to Jewish faith. The religious theme recurs that there is no more spiritual faith and everyone is doubtful about the existence of omnipresence of God as he thinks God doesn’t care of his innocent people who are dying due to the barbaric and despotic behavior of advocates of Nazism in German.
Wiesel narrates whole story of his past experiences in such impressive manner that the reader finds himself physical with him to see all inhuman acts of human beings with their companion without any compassion. The readers realizes how holocaust has left the deep impacts upon the mind of writer and he feels the loss of his home, family, community and self-esteem. It is a book full of unforgettable chronological series of events to show the devastation on the larger scale during World War II.
“There was no longer any joy in his eyes. He no longer sang. He no longer talked to me of God or the Kabbalah, but only of what he had seen. People refused not only to believe his stories, but even to listen to him”.
The residents of the ghetto were deported and people were treated by Hungarian police mercilessly who were beating them with clubs and rifle butts to rip out of their homes.
“It was from that moment that I began to hate them, and my hate is still the only link between us today.”
Eliezer s’ feelings of desolation and dejection are clearly interpreted when he attempts to support his father in fits of shocking grief and gloominess as he doesn’t want to leave his father alone, hopeless and helpless, he becomes caregiver of his father in such adolescent age, having resentful and hateful feelings for his father who is alarming source of his own existence. He feels that he is losing his inherent feelings of love and intimacy for his intimates due to the threatening situation around the Nazi camps. He feels no longer any strong bond of love and affection with his comrades.
“I do not know whether it has ever happened before, in the long history of the Jews, that people have ever recited the prayer for the dead for themselves”
He shows his loss of faith in human relationships is directly linked with his loss of faith in God who sees all merciless acts of human beings silently. The people are not much concerned to offer funeral prayers of dead persons there is no more intimate relations with each others. Everyone wants to struggle for “fittest of survival” in such horrifying scenes of death and decay everywhere. He shows his feelings of strong aversion against such massacre of jewish people around the nazi camps in the most poignant style that everyone is wonder-struck with fear and horror to see horrifying scenes of tyrannical policemen.
“Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.”
In this wonderful literary piece of writing, Night, the novelist tries to capture the minds of readers by presenting the true picture of holocaust victims and their state of mind which are lying under pressure of despondency and vacant mindedness. He has portrayed so artistically the dark aspects of human civilization in chronological manner to snatch away the masks of so-called civilized outlooks of human history.
The book presents very realistic and shocking events so vividly that everyone is enthralled by its clarity of thoughts which are portrayed so movingly. The author portrays the truthful picture of callous actions of humans with each others without discrimination of children, adults and old ones. It is indirect sarcasm on human history which is full of such horrified events of past. Night is a personal story in correspondence with historical events to show how human beings become callous and brutal for their own companions and writer arouses such challenging questions in the minds of readers that human civilization is still facing such impending dangers of death, decay, despondency and brutality in future!
References
Elie Wiesel quoted in Reichek, Morton. “Elie Wiesel: Out of the Night,” Present Tense, 3 (1976). Web.