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12-21-2005, 09:18 AM
“In Night, Elie Wiesel [the author] inverts and reverses, even shatters, the elements of traditional paradigm†(Vanderwerken 305). Various critics rave about the limitless qualities of this hundred-page portrayal and the epic it unfolds. Night, a “memoir,†is told through the eyes of a young Jewish boy named Eliezer. It vividly depicts the horrible atrocities and suffering he endures during his forceful stay in the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Poland, and the unbearable sights he is forced to witness. Throughout Eliezer’s stay at the camp, he learns who he really is and the austerity of his unwanted environment. This award-winning novel unquestionably deserves a spot on a 10 Honors English summer reading list.
Although a selected few view Wiesel’s work as a failure of art because of his simple diction (Alvarez 1), they clearly have not realized that this novel has been translated twice into unrelated languages such as Yiddish and French. Perhaps they have not evaluated the novel as a whole and considered the devastation that abundant complicated words might have on Wiesel’s vivid portrait.
Night’s exemplary character development gains the reader’s interest in the novel. Eliezer overcomes a challenge unlike any other character. His relationship with his father tragically becomes inverted (Vanderwerken 306). “Normally, the father helps the son make the transition from adolescence from dependence to independence. In the kingdom of Night, however, the roles completely reverse; the son becomes the parent†(Vanderwerken 306). With his father’s declining health, Eliezer’s only option is to soothe him and help him throughout his stay in Auschwitz. Since most students have never encountered this situation, they will find interest in how Eliezer assumes the role of a parent and how he manages his father’s problems. Wiesel is also intuitively able to bring out the bad qualities of characters without ruining the character in the reader’s eye, such as Eliezer’s loss of faith. After all he suffers, Eliezer wonders, “Why, but why should I bless Him? In every fiber I rebelled. Because in His great might He had created Auschwitz†(Wiesel 64). The eternal thought lingers in Eliezer’s mind: where is God now? Where is God when I need Him most? His faith deteriorates as he realizes that God is not there to help him, no one is. The camps of Auschwitz killed his faith “forever†(Cedars 294). Night is therefore Eliezer’s view of repeated dying, once the death of a man, and then his ideas (Avni 340). Not only does death take place in this grievous story, but the degradation of people’s morals. People around Eliezer begin to worry only about themselves. One son murders his father in a desperate attempt to gain a last piece of bread. Eliezer painfully tries to keep thoughts such as this out of his mind. Situations such as these occur, and Eliezer begins to transform into someone he doesn’t want to be.
Night’s educational value can highly benefit students. Since most textbooks seem to acquire a reputation for being dry and dull, students tend to skim through them without actually leaning much information. These textbooks generally have very few pages dedicated to the significance of the Holocaust (Danks 343). Night can more efficiently play a role in the education of a student in this situation. “Focus on literature in which the author presents his or her experiences as a young person; students can relate more easily to these accounts†(Danks 343). Instead of sitting and reading statistics and numbers, one can feel and relate to the author more and the events he imposes on them. This novel is held together by the “sinew of a human being,†instead of glue and strings (Danks 343). A novel such as this could definitely be a “positive learning experience†(Danks 343). Parent relationships are also unbelievably important in a teen’s life. “Wiesel’s chronicle provides a glimpse into relationships stretched to their utmost because of factors completely outside the individual’s control†(Danks 344). Not only will a student learn about how to deal with father-son relationships, but he will also learn to value his relationship with his parents for the fear of losing it. A novel such as this will show the “powerful impact†of the Holocaust on a person (Danks 344).
Wiesel’s writing style is unique and beneficial because it cleverly accents the novel’s focus. His concise writing clearly depicts scenes and does not confuse the reader. Cedars states that Wiesel’s concise expression openly portrays the truth (294). While showing the truth, the diction is also brilliantly written in a neutral tone. One critic feels this neutral tone is the language of a witness and that by suppressing all emotion, analysis, and embellishment, it speaks only of despair and cynicism (Cedars 294). By using this tone, Wiesel is able to create an accurate vision in the reader’s mind while allowing the reader himself to make conclusions about the events that took place. Eliezer states in the novel, “I witnessed other hangings. I never saw a single one of those victims weep. For a long time those dried-up bodies had forgotten the bitter taste of tears†(Wiesel 60). As a reader views these lines, he is able to imagine the vehement suffering the victims of the Holocaust are subjected to. Without the use of powerful language or embellishment, a bitter memory is engraved in the reader as he pictures the shriveled bodies in his head. Wiesel’s most powerful tool is his “imaginative landscapes†(Alter 526). It is these landscapes that truly bring the novel to life. “Not far from us, flames were leaping up from a ditch, gigantic flames. They were burning something. A lorry drew up at the pit and delivered its load –little children. Babies! Yes, I saw it –saw it with my own eyes…those children in the flames†(Wiesel 30). Unlike most authors who would use vivid words such as “intense, agonizing, or cremating,†the author uses the art of subject. In a modern society, the practice of harming a child is universally known to be wrong and sinful. An act such as burning a child is unspeakable; therefore the reader instantly feels hatred towards the Germans. Cedars calls this Wiesel’s “language of silence†(294). Not only are all these literary elements tastefully used, they are also a key aspect in helping one understand what the Holocaust was actually like.
Wiesel’s Night is definitely a recommended addition to a 10 Honors English summer reading list. Eliezer’s struggle as an individual and Wiesel’s accurate staccato diction combine to create an excellent novel. The changes Eliezer undergoes and the sights he sees provide exceptional educational documentation. A reader should not be left hanging at the end of this novel with the main character’s feelings of self-pity. Instead, he should continue to read the trilogy of Night.
Works Cited
Alter, Robert. “Elie Wiesel.†Contemporary Literary Criticism 3. Ed. Carolyn Riley, Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1975: 526.
Alvarez, A. “The Literature of the Holocaust.†Beyond All This Fiddle 1968. Literature Resource Center. Galenet. Residence. 10 Dec 2005 <http://galenet.galegroup.com>.
Avni, Ora. “Elie Wiesel.†Contemporary Literary Criticism 165. Ed. Janet Witalec, Farmington Hills: Gale Research Company, 2003: 335-342.
Cedars, Marie. “Elie Wiesel.†Contemporary Literary Criticism 165. Ed. Janet Witalec, Farmington Hills: Gale Research Company, 2003: 294-298.
Danks, Carol. “Elie Wiesel.†Contemporary Literary Criticism 165. Ed. Janet Witalec, Farmington Hills: Gale Research Company, 2003: 343-347.
Vanderwerken, David. “Elie Wiesel.†Contemporary Literary Criticism 165. Ed. Janet Witalec, Farmington Hills: Gale Research Company, 2003: 305-308.
Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Bantam Books: 1982.
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Although a selected few view Wiesel’s work as a failure of art because of his simple diction (Alvarez 1), they clearly have not realized that this novel has been translated twice into unrelated languages such as Yiddish and French. Perhaps they have not evaluated the novel as a whole and considered the devastation that abundant complicated words might have on Wiesel’s vivid portrait.
Night’s exemplary character development gains the reader’s interest in the novel. Eliezer overcomes a challenge unlike any other character. His relationship with his father tragically becomes inverted (Vanderwerken 306). “Normally, the father helps the son make the transition from adolescence from dependence to independence. In the kingdom of Night, however, the roles completely reverse; the son becomes the parent†(Vanderwerken 306). With his father’s declining health, Eliezer’s only option is to soothe him and help him throughout his stay in Auschwitz. Since most students have never encountered this situation, they will find interest in how Eliezer assumes the role of a parent and how he manages his father’s problems. Wiesel is also intuitively able to bring out the bad qualities of characters without ruining the character in the reader’s eye, such as Eliezer’s loss of faith. After all he suffers, Eliezer wonders, “Why, but why should I bless Him? In every fiber I rebelled. Because in His great might He had created Auschwitz†(Wiesel 64). The eternal thought lingers in Eliezer’s mind: where is God now? Where is God when I need Him most? His faith deteriorates as he realizes that God is not there to help him, no one is. The camps of Auschwitz killed his faith “forever†(Cedars 294). Night is therefore Eliezer’s view of repeated dying, once the death of a man, and then his ideas (Avni 340). Not only does death take place in this grievous story, but the degradation of people’s morals. People around Eliezer begin to worry only about themselves. One son murders his father in a desperate attempt to gain a last piece of bread. Eliezer painfully tries to keep thoughts such as this out of his mind. Situations such as these occur, and Eliezer begins to transform into someone he doesn’t want to be.
Night’s educational value can highly benefit students. Since most textbooks seem to acquire a reputation for being dry and dull, students tend to skim through them without actually leaning much information. These textbooks generally have very few pages dedicated to the significance of the Holocaust (Danks 343). Night can more efficiently play a role in the education of a student in this situation. “Focus on literature in which the author presents his or her experiences as a young person; students can relate more easily to these accounts†(Danks 343). Instead of sitting and reading statistics and numbers, one can feel and relate to the author more and the events he imposes on them. This novel is held together by the “sinew of a human being,†instead of glue and strings (Danks 343). A novel such as this could definitely be a “positive learning experience†(Danks 343). Parent relationships are also unbelievably important in a teen’s life. “Wiesel’s chronicle provides a glimpse into relationships stretched to their utmost because of factors completely outside the individual’s control†(Danks 344). Not only will a student learn about how to deal with father-son relationships, but he will also learn to value his relationship with his parents for the fear of losing it. A novel such as this will show the “powerful impact†of the Holocaust on a person (Danks 344).
Wiesel’s writing style is unique and beneficial because it cleverly accents the novel’s focus. His concise writing clearly depicts scenes and does not confuse the reader. Cedars states that Wiesel’s concise expression openly portrays the truth (294). While showing the truth, the diction is also brilliantly written in a neutral tone. One critic feels this neutral tone is the language of a witness and that by suppressing all emotion, analysis, and embellishment, it speaks only of despair and cynicism (Cedars 294). By using this tone, Wiesel is able to create an accurate vision in the reader’s mind while allowing the reader himself to make conclusions about the events that took place. Eliezer states in the novel, “I witnessed other hangings. I never saw a single one of those victims weep. For a long time those dried-up bodies had forgotten the bitter taste of tears†(Wiesel 60). As a reader views these lines, he is able to imagine the vehement suffering the victims of the Holocaust are subjected to. Without the use of powerful language or embellishment, a bitter memory is engraved in the reader as he pictures the shriveled bodies in his head. Wiesel’s most powerful tool is his “imaginative landscapes†(Alter 526). It is these landscapes that truly bring the novel to life. “Not far from us, flames were leaping up from a ditch, gigantic flames. They were burning something. A lorry drew up at the pit and delivered its load –little children. Babies! Yes, I saw it –saw it with my own eyes…those children in the flames†(Wiesel 30). Unlike most authors who would use vivid words such as “intense, agonizing, or cremating,†the author uses the art of subject. In a modern society, the practice of harming a child is universally known to be wrong and sinful. An act such as burning a child is unspeakable; therefore the reader instantly feels hatred towards the Germans. Cedars calls this Wiesel’s “language of silence†(294). Not only are all these literary elements tastefully used, they are also a key aspect in helping one understand what the Holocaust was actually like.
Wiesel’s Night is definitely a recommended addition to a 10 Honors English summer reading list. Eliezer’s struggle as an individual and Wiesel’s accurate staccato diction combine to create an excellent novel. The changes Eliezer undergoes and the sights he sees provide exceptional educational documentation. A reader should not be left hanging at the end of this novel with the main character’s feelings of self-pity. Instead, he should continue to read the trilogy of Night.
Works Cited
Alter, Robert. “Elie Wiesel.†Contemporary Literary Criticism 3. Ed. Carolyn Riley, Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1975: 526.
Alvarez, A. “The Literature of the Holocaust.†Beyond All This Fiddle 1968. Literature Resource Center. Galenet. Residence. 10 Dec 2005 <http://galenet.galegroup.com>.
Avni, Ora. “Elie Wiesel.†Contemporary Literary Criticism 165. Ed. Janet Witalec, Farmington Hills: Gale Research Company, 2003: 335-342.
Cedars, Marie. “Elie Wiesel.†Contemporary Literary Criticism 165. Ed. Janet Witalec, Farmington Hills: Gale Research Company, 2003: 294-298.
Danks, Carol. “Elie Wiesel.†Contemporary Literary Criticism 165. Ed. Janet Witalec, Farmington Hills: Gale Research Company, 2003: 343-347.
Vanderwerken, David. “Elie Wiesel.†Contemporary Literary Criticism 165. Ed. Janet Witalec, Farmington Hills: Gale Research Company, 2003: 305-308.
Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Bantam Books: 1982.
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