Night Blog

Focus Question: How do Elie's experiences during the Holocaust change him as a person?

Throughout your reading of Night, you have witnessed many significant changes that Wiesel experiences as a result of his time in the concentration camps. I encourage you to delve deeply into his character and focus on important aspects, such as: his personality, morality, beliefs or values.

Your goal is to identify at least two major changes, and 'prove' using textual evidence and interpretation, how Eliezer transforms by the end of his memoir. Please use TIQA as your tool for organization.

Blog minimum: 3 paragraphs

    In the beginning of the book Elie is very religious mainly because that was how he was raised. Also he was a determined kid and always had faith in what he believed in. "There it was now, very close to us, the pit and its flames. I gathered all that remained of my strength in order to throw myself onto the barbed wire. Deep down, I was saying good-bye to my father, to the whole universe, and against my will I found myself whispering the words: "Yisgadal, veyiskadash, shmey raba … May his name be exalted and sanctified …" My heart was about to burst. There, I was face to face with the Angel of Death." This shows his belief in God still but you can tell it's beginning to fade away. Then he begins to have his doubts in God later on in the concentration camps because he isn't there for him.

Elie's mentality also change on the world and he realized how messed up society was. He didn't even know who he was anymore or what his point in life was. He knows that he needs to loose his so called "innocence" and become a man to survive. This was what needed to be done for him to survive the concentration camps. This was when he just completely gave up on his religion because it simply wasn't there when he needed it most. I honestly think that was the thing that allowed him to survive. He only worried about himself and did his own thing. He stopped relying on others and just did everything on his own which made him a powerful individual. 

Elie Wiesel changed his beliefs because his religion wasn't really there for him. He began to question God because he thought if he truly existed he wouldn't allow him to go into the concentration camps in the first place. "For the first time, I felt anger rising within me. Why should I sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for?" (Pg. 33). That quote was Elie questioning his God, I could understand his frustration. The person he turned to for help wasn't able to be there for him when he needed him most. 

I honestly don't know how he was able to make a book on his life because it must've been rough to relive all these moments. However, he helped a lot of people by writing this book to show that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. "There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." This is the quote that he said that really woke me up and made me think if he can do it so can I. Although, I'll never really experience anything as bad as he did, he just amazed me. I don't really even know what to say but wow. Honestly, I get emotional when I think about what he went through because no one deserves it. Wiesel was able to have the courage and bravery to incorporate all this into a book, I give him all my respect.