Introduction
The book Night by Elie Wiesel focuses on religious faith, a significant issue in society. It was published in 1960 and has been translated into various languages. Eliezer is the narrator in the tale and experiences multiple challenges throughout the story. The most significant issue involves his struggle with faith depicting how the loss of religious belief impacts individuals in the community. The world is diverse, and societies have different beliefs and values. Consequently, Wiesel used the narrative to show how one’s life can be affected by religion. Faith, guilt and inaction, and inhumanity are some of the narratives themes that readers can analyze when focusing on the various issues addressed in the story.
Main Idea in the Book
The main idea in the text involves faith, which Eliezer primarily depicts. At the beginning of the narrative, he prays at night in the synagogue until Eliezer is overwhelmed with religious feelings. Moreover, the narrator is attracted to Jewish mysticism and wants to study Kabbalah to learn more about the religion (Wiesel 5). However, his father prevents him from engaging in the studies since he is young. His experiences in the camps of Birkenau-Auschwitz affect Eliezer’s beliefs in God. Many people die and starve, causing him to conclude that God does not exist (Wiesel 62). Therefore, the audience can learn that the main idea entails how life experiences impact one’s religious faith and relationship with the Creator.
Developing the Analysis
Inhumanity has been incorporated in Wiesel’s book to ensure that the audience can understand how communities impacts people’s life. For instance, the German government and society redefined Jews as creatures who do not have a right to live (Wiesel 54). Another issue that shows inhumanity is when other patients beat Eliezer’s father in his sickbed because he smells bad (Wiesel 63). Guilt and inaction is also a theme used by Wiesel in the book. For example, Eliezer watches defencelessly as his father is beaten several times at night. Thus, Eliezer has the feeling of guilt since he does not show an act of resistance. The imprisoned community also feels weak and malnourished when surrounded by soldiers with machine guns. The prisoners’ options are limited since any resistance can lead to their deaths and torture. Thus, these scenes show that inhumanity and guilt and inaction are some concepts in the book.
Personal Evaluation
Authors exercise different techniques to ensure that the audience can understand their message. Wiesel is also persuasive since he has used convincing language to create scenes that readers can analyze and learn the story’s moral lesson. Moreover, the use of religion is essential in the book since many people experience the challenges encountered by characters in the story. The narraive is also fascinating, which is a necessary aspect of literature. It enables people to read a particular text to the end to learn what happened in the conclusion. Consequently, these aspects can be used to reveal that Wiesel is persuasive.
What strikes me most in this week’s readings involves the techniques used in narratives. The various texts I have come across have used different approaches to attract more readers and ensure that the message is conveyed effectively. I have also learned the importance of ensuring that the audience can comprehend the story’s moral lesson. Therefore, these factors have been significant to me since I can read various texts and analyze how authors have used considerable writing skills. The question that I would pursue in the class discussion is; What are the significant elements that one can consider when writing both fictional and non-fictional stories?
Work Cited
Wiesel, Elie. Night. Hill and Wang, 2006.