A review of publication "Night" ,a book written by Elie Wiesel and his account during time spent in Nazi Concentration Camps Auschwitz and Buchenwald in 1944–1945.

1. History of Anti-Semitism
Professor Frassetto
December 8, 2010
A story of a young boy’s traumatic experiences of the Holocaust is presented in
descriptive detail in the book” Night” by Elie Wiesel. This book allows for a permanent, re-
collective perception of the reality of the Holocaust. Wiesel’s intention with this literary work is
to not allow for a worse crime than the Holocaust itself, that it be forgotten, or simply erased
from human memory. The critical insight that this work invokes to the world is “never again”.
His documented accounts assume the vile and pernicious nature that man is capable of,
and events that occurred that have changed our history of modern society as a whole forever.
The anguish, pain, suffering, exhaustion, oppression, and eternal memories of the experiences in
which all those who both died and lived at the expense of the Holocaust, in hopes will be
permanently engrained with the reading of “Night”. The author does not leave much room for
imagination far from his own accounts, for they are thoroughly explained- and terrifying. The
unique descriptions of Elie Wiesel while imprisoned without crime at the death camp of
Auschwitz-Birkenau, Buchenwald and Buna represent the unjustified terror and torment, not
only of himself and father, but for the millions that shared the same fate.
“Night” tells a personal reality of a young Jewish boy from Transylvania, Romania and
how similarly the Jewish communities all throughout Europe were betrayed by their own
countries, as they were submissive to the German regime during World War II. Jews were

2. uprooted from their homes without question or insight while personal possessions and valuables
were taken away, and inevitably forced into unfathomable suffering and labor. Beyond this, they
were taken away their right to live in freedom and happiness as their neighbors did. They were
deported out of their homes and away from their towns in thousands and thrown into cattle cars
until there was no air to breath. This was just the beginning.
The Jews throughout Europe were told they were being deported to labor camps. Rumors
spread that this was only a rumor, when in fact was truth. They were convinced they were safe,
that their town would never be impacted and disshuffled from the everyday ways of life, Elie
was told, “the war will be over before the German forces can reach us.” Thus, never feeling
threatened enough to go somewhere beyond the reach of German officers before being taken
away to their deaths. They were publically ridiculed and embarrassed by being prohibited from
going to certain places in public, given curfews, and eventually moved from their homes to
ghettos. The strategy left the Jewish population stunned by each advancement that was made
against their freedom. What they were living through in one instance after the other never
allowed them to think of what could be worse than their worst fears, and could have never
conceived what would happen to them once separated from loved ones and sent away to their
deaths.
The fates of all would be brutal, uncomprehendable, and beyond devastating in which the
way their identities were taken away by being acknowledged without a name, just a number
such as Elie, as A-7713. Their bodies withered away in cold and hunger as clothing was taken
away and food was rationed, as portions got smaller and smaller. Working, eating, and sleeping
were all designated with the call of a bell or siren. A beating from the guards, lashing from the
arctic wind, dehydration and starvation was common throughout their time at the camps, from

3. spring of 1942 to April of 1945. Selections were made weekly that ensured that no one survived
if they were too feeble, their lives of suffering and intense labor in the camps was in fact a
“privilege” compared to those who were “selected” and subsequently murdered.
The journey that Elie endured was alongside his father. While they both shared the same
grieving of their mother and sister, wife and child, they persevered in the belief that they were
still alive. Elie told himself and his father that his mother and sister were still alive, pretending it
was fact in case one of them actually believed. The disparity for their safety and a reunification
sounded heavenly and tranquil. The imaginary thought of such an event would be the only
occurrence for the Wiesel family. The hope of this acted as a hallucination from the suffocation
from life and the humility they provided to the German camp guards.
Along with all his loved ones, Wiesel’s childhood innocence was completely stolen, as
was his eventual will to keep fighting and to live. He grew tired of crying, starvation, sickness,
fearing death, cold, separation from his mother and sister, and eventually worrying about
anyone’s survival beyond his own, including his own father’s life. Elie Wiesel and the
remaining Jewish population was stripped of their humanity, and entirely lost the will to retrieve
it from the punishing German forces. Nothing compares, however, to the loss of their souls in the
midst of the brutality the Jews were subjected to. The sanctity of their religion allowed many to
overcome the reality of the subsequent defeat as a nation. The holding on of Judaism might have
saved many, while on the other hand might have been the source of immense demise. It was an
internal struggle that Elie wrestled with as well. His faith became a matter of question rather
than understanding of truth and adherence of god’s will. The circumstances and the pain that he
and millions other endured resulted in a question of why. Why is this happening? Why is God

4. “letting” this happen? The degradation of faith resulted in not only a loss for god, but an
unfortunate loss for living.
The Holocaust took a life that can never be lived and a voice that never will be heard.
This is the consequence of Wiesel’s assurance to the world that they will, in fact, have a voice.
Through his voice, through his words, his witness will serve for all the others who are not
forgotten, for “silence encourages the tormentor, not the tormented”.
The horrifying experiences that are accounted for in “Night” is not a dream, as Elie hated
to remind himself throughout 3 years of a place that reaches beyond the depths of hell. Wiesel’s
recounting of the faces he saw, the screams he heard, the smell of human flesh burning, and the
witness to horrific mass murder in one time and place reminds us that a dark place does exist in
humankind, and our history of letting the German regime get away with genocide is a desperate
lesson learned. Don’t be quite when someone cannot speak for themselves, don’t reject fact for
truth, and don’t doubt the potential of man. “Night” highlights the callous consequence of how
all this desolately slipped from man’s thoughts, sadly, when it was needed most.
A Book Review of “ Night” by Angela Silipena