By the end of the novel Elie had most definitely changed in character. That is a big deal, too. Your character is who you are. It's what you believe and how you act, what you feel and who you know. When we first met Elie he was a young, independent, very driven 15 year old boy. As the novel progresses and we read the torture that Elie goes through we can kind of predict that he isn't going to be the same. He comes out of the Holocaust a survivor, but had lost all hope in what he knew. In this final section of Night I felt as if I was there with Elie going through the death march, throwing out the dead bodies of the men that have died, and being tormented by German townspeople as they cruelly throw little pieces of bread into the street just so they can watch the Jews fight over it. Reading about the bread being thrown into the street made me sick to my stomach. You would think I would be used to reading about this sort of treatment by now, but I guess I kept thinking to myself that things couldn't get any worse; and then I kept reading and saw that. We learn that this instance changed Elie's perspective on mankind, and if I was in his position, I think I would have questioned that a long time ago. In this last section we also read about the death of Elie's father which broke my heart. On the journey to Buchenwald, Wiesel becomes very weak, so weak that he doesn't have the ability to push through the pain any longer. His son does the best he can to try and take care of his old man but because of the fear of being scolded and hurt by an officer he has to let his father go. That night, January 28, 1945 when Elie finally falls asleep the last words that he had heard come out of his father's mouth was his name. "Eliezer..." he weakly said. Janury 29th, the next morning, he did not see his father lying down in his cot. Instead there was another soon to be dead Jew.  "I did not weep, and it pained me not to weep. But I was out of tears. And deep inside me, if I could have searched the recesses of my feeble conscience, I might have found something like: Free at last!..." (112). This quote, in my opinion, was when I knew that Elie did not care about anything anymore. His only goal was to try and live, although he did not know what to live for. He had nothing to believe in. The time he spent at that camp, he learned that it was every man for himself. No one was there to look out for each other, so how was anyone supposed to survive? It as almost as if everyone that was part of this disgusting Holocaust turned into lifeless souls. But then again, I would probably be the same way. What really got to Elie, I think, was just before his father died what one of the Blockalteste said to him. "In this place, it is every man for himself, and you cannot think of others. Not even your father. In this place, there is no such thing as father, brother, friend. Each of us dies and lives alone" (110). Elie was alone. Without a mother, father, sisters or friends. But that did not seem to phase him in the end. Nothing did, not even being alive really. This boy went through a series of very unfortunate events along with millions of others; but he was able to survive. He left the concentration camp knowing he did not have a father or a mother or anyone for that matter. The poor boy had nothing, nothing but his dreadful, sickening past that will forever haunt him.

Let me start by apologizing for my posts being a little late. While reading pages 47-84 of the novel Night there were certain parts that I took note on. The group that Elie and his father were with stayed in Auschwitz for three weeks. While they were there Elie's father, Wiesel, was beckoned by a relative of his who he did not recognize. And to be honest, I don't think that Stein (the relative to Wiesel) even recognized Wiesel. I think he so desperately wanted to see someone that he might know, that could possibly give him some information. Stein wanted to know if his wife and kids were okay. Elie had no idea if Reizel (Stein's wife) and their children were safe and sound but to spare Stein the depression and possibility of suicide he told him otherwise. He had told the long lost relative of his that Reizel and the children were alright. After hearing that Stein was filled with joy. "'The only thing that keeps me alive,' he kept saying, 'is to know that Reizel and the little ones are still alive. Were it not for them, I would give up'" (45). Reading that made me so sad. Because even though I wasn't sure if Reizel and their children were okay, I had a good feeling that something bad had happened to them, and this poor man was going to have to find out eventually. And sadly, he did. It made me think about how many families suffered through this different kind of pain. The kind of pain that wasn't inflicted on them, but that drained the life out of them because of worry. Stein along with many others had to deal with not only his work that could possibly kill him, but thinking about how his innocent wife and children were going through the same thing, and there was nothing that he could do, as a father or husband to help them. One quote that stuck out to me while reading happened right before Elie had to go see the dentist (where he had his gold crown ripped from his mouth). "Ten minutes later, we stood in front of the warehouse. A German employee, a civilian, the Meister, came to meet us. He paid as little attention to us as would a shoekeeper receiving a delivery of old rags" (50). That quote alone can tell any reader that didn't know how the Germans were treating the Jews. They were being compared to treating the Jews to how a shoekeeper would be receiving a delivery of old rags. They obviously didn't care about them at all, or what happened to them. And why? Because they were different.. not even that different. Just Jewish.  It honestly disturbed me to read what was going on to these poor people. The little boy and his father being hung. That was one of the worst. And what made it worse was that the kid was just a young boy. There's something that makes a young boy being hanged worse than an adult. The young boy was not heavy enough to make the rope choke him immediately making him die instantly. So he suffered, and was there on display for everyone to see. The Jews went through so much pain and it really does discomfort me to have to read about it and imagine a world where this happened.

In the last section of Night, we learn about the cruelty between the inmates and how they will do anything to survive. It's no longer the Jewish people against their oppressors. It is now every prisoner against one another. They had left Auschwitz after rumors of the Red army closing in. Men were shot if they could not keep up with the rest of the men running. Elie ran next to a young boy who he worked with in the factories. The little boy couldn’t keep up but Elie was begging him to keep going. He insisted on stopping and lowering his pants. That was the last image Elie had of him. Elie didn’t know if he was shot or trampled to death by the hundreds of men running behind him.   All the prisoners took a train to Buchenwald. They were put 100 per car. Even with them being so emaciated, they were still cramped inside. When they passed through German towns, people would just look at them like they expected nothing more. The townspeople began to throw bread into the cars just to gawk at the men fighting over the little food. One man had snuck food into his shirt for his son. The next thing Elie sees is a group of men jump the old man and his son. When the men finally walk away all that is left is the old man and his son dead. Elie was 16. Could you imagine being 16 and watching a father, trying to help his son, and his son beat to death for a small bite of bread? Or how about watching a son turn a blind eye to his father losing pace with the rest, leaving him left for dead? Elie prays to the god he no longer believes in. "Oh God, Master of the Universe, give me the strength never to do what Rabbi Eliahu's son has done"(p.91). When the men reach the gates of Buchenwald it is almost like they have reached the gates of heaven. They trample each other to get within its gates. Inside the walls, Elie's father becomes ill. He doesn't want to live. Elie's father talks to Elie "Elizer… I must tell you where I buried the gold and silver… In the cellar… You know…"(p.108).  Elie's father dies by the crematorium or so he believes. On April 11 Elie was liberated along with the other prisoners. What would your first thoughts be if you were free? Would you seek revenge or seek nourishment? Not the Jewish prisoners. They didn’t seek revenge, 2, 3 or even 20 days later. They were just happy to be alive. How would you act in that situation?

"As for me, I had ceased to pray. I conjured with Job! I was not denying His existence, but I doubted His absolute justice"(p.45). At this point in the book, Elie has given up praying to God because he sees him as silent and not lifting a finger to help His people. Elie is not alone in believing God has gone deaf to their prayers. There are those who still have faith in God. Akiba Drumer is just one of those people. "God is testing us. He wants to see whether we are capable of overcoming our base instincts, of killing the Satan within ourselves. We have no right to despair. And if He punishes us mercilessly, it is a sign that He loves us that much more…"(p.45). Elie doesn’t believe faith will help him now. He has become independent of God. He still believes that God is there but that he is just not helping any. Later on Elie's foot began to swell to the point where he couldn't stand on it. He went into the infirmary where he found out that he would have to have surgery to remove a sack on his foot. A rumor was going around camp that the Red army was racing toward Buna and it would be only a few hours before they reached the camp. Elie had the chance to stay in the infirmary with the others while everyone else left. The doctor said that he could pretend that Elie's father was either a patient or a doctor. Elie and his father had decided to leave the infirmary and go off with the others. Later on Elie learns that everyone in the infirmaries was liberated. Another chance for freedom was gone.  Before they left the Blockälteste order the men to clean their blockade. He said "For the liberating army, let them know that here lived men and not pigs"(p.84). Elie and the others have been treated like nothing more than dirt their entire time at the camps and now all of a sudden they are considered men?

In the last section of Night, watching Elie and his father's relationship becoming weaker and weaker as Elie's dad approaches his death upsets me greatly.  After running for hours, both Elie and his father are exhausted.  The father says, "Don't worry, son.  Go to sleep.  I'll watch over you," (p89).  Here, although exhausted from running, both of them are physically okay (meaning they aren't sick).  Elie's dad is still the one taking care of his son.  After this they get on a train.  There are 100 people in each car.  The train stopped at one point to rid of those who had died during the ride.  Elie's dad was thought to be dead until he was beat on by Elie to prove otherwise.  If you saw two men approaching you and your father ready to throw your dad out of a train, how do you think you would react?  Would you beat him as Elie did until he woke up?  I honestly don't know if I'd do this or simply sit there and watch them carry his body out.  This was only the beginning of his father's down fall, though.  Through another selection, Elie's dad was chosen to go to the left, which would eventually send him to the forsaken crematoria.  Desperately trying to stay with his father, Elie went after him, causing confusion, which allowed them, and others, to sneak onto the right side.  He was still with his father.  Knowing that his time is almost up, Elie's father says to him, "Eliezer...I must tell you where i buried the gold and silver...in the cellar..." (p108).  How would you react if your father is telling you the things he wants you to know before he's gone?  I would react angrily, knowing that he is giving up.  I would feel like he is giving up and abandoning me.  He began suffereing from dysentery.  He yells out to Elie, "My son, they are beating me!"(p109).  He was delirious. He was seeing things and putting himself in situations that weren't actually there.  It must be very difficult watching someone so close to you slowly losing a battle such as this, ultimately leading to his death.  Hence, Elie's experience of watching his father eventually die must have been heartbreaking and traumatizing.

"As for me, I had ceased to pray. I conjured with Job! I was not denying His existence, but i doubted His absolute justice"(p.45). At this point in the book, Elie has given up praying to God because he sees him as silent and not lifting a finger to help His people. Elie is not alone in believing God has gone deaf to their prayers. There are those who still have faith in God. Akiba Drumer is just one of those people. "God is testing us. He wants to

     What is it like to have you whole world flipped upside down in the blink of an eye? What is it like to say good-bye to your family, not knowing if you will ever see them again? Those questions and many more were running through my head as I continued to read Night. Elie Wiesel, and every other Jew in the concentration camps had to spend their New Year's Eve fearing for their lives. He is left not believing in the god that he used to pray to everyday, "In those days I fully believed that the salvation of the world depended on every one of my deeds, on every one of my prayers. But now, I no longer pleaded for anything... My eyes had opened and i was alone terribly alone in a world without God," (68). To completely change a 15-year-old's view on not only religion, but the whole world in a matter of weeks is truly astonishing.  A time that is supposed to be a celebration for them, was something far different. Also, Elie ends up running for his life, literally. Every Jew in the concentration camps are forced to endure selection. They are examined by doctors and forced to run to see if they are still "fit" enough for the camps. I was enraged while reading this; it made me think to myself, Who are they to decide whether someone gets to live or die? How can a person's life be put into the hands of someone who despises them? When Elie learns that his father did not pass the first selection, all he can do is worry about his father's life. Being the same age as Elie, I can't even put myself in that position to think about what it would be like to lose my parents.
     On the other hand, it amazes me that the others in the concentration camps have stopped caring about the lives of others; the camps have become an every man for themselves type of situation. For example, while Elie is recovering at the doctors, the man in the bed next to him tries to convince him to leave, "But then perhaps my faceless neighbor, afraid of being among the first displaced, simply wanted to get rid of me, free my bed, to give himself a chance to survive," (78). I understand that everyone there is scared for their life just as much as the next person, however it became clear that they are now only fighting for themselves. I also couldn't help but notice that the veterans of the camps treat Elie and his father like they don't even care about them. I would think that they would be the ones are are the kindest, because they know what the newer people are going through. It surprised me how clear it was that they didn't even care to show just a little compassion. The concentration camps are so blatantly changing everyone's outlook on life, that no one could ever be the same.

     In the Night reading, there are many quotes that stood out to me.  During their time at the concentration camp, their was a raid.  One of the quotes that caught my attention was, "To watch that factory go up in flames- what revenge!  We were not afraid.  And yet, if a bomb had fallen on the blocks it would have claimed hundreds of inmates' lives.  But we no longer feared death... Every bomb that hit filled us with joy, gave us new confidence," (p60).  Even though bombs were dropping very close to where they were, the inmates at the concentration camps were happy with the explosions.  They didn't mind to die from a bomb in the attempts of getting rescued.  As long as they don't die from one of the chambers within the camp, they must feel like they won over the Germans.  Wiesel says that "every bomb that hits fills them with joy" because each bomb is one step closer to being liberated.  Another quote that intrigued me was "The thousands of people who died daily in Auschwitz and Birkenau, in the crematoria, no longer troubled me.  But this boy, leaning against his gallows, upset me deeply," (p62)  As if watching others go into the crematoria and other ways of killing the inmates wasn't bad enough, if caught doing something against the rules of the camp, you may be hanged.  The person hanged in the previous quote was just a boy and he was being hanged.  Wiesel describes how the crematoria doesn't bother him as much as watching someone be hanged.   The final quote is "But the third rope was still moving: the child, too light, was still breathing.  He was still alive when I passed him" (p65).  In this last quote, a boy is hanged, but he does not have a quick death.  Instead, because he is too light, his weight didnt cause the rope to rapidly break his neck and kill him.  He was suffocating by hanging from the rope.  It apalled me as I was reading to realize that even though the soldiers and everyone knew he was still alive, know one either helped him,  nor put him out of his misery.  Of all the ways to die, suffocating must be the most horriffic because it is a slow, gruesome death.  As seen by this evidence, many of the quotes in Night can trigger a reader to have deep thoughts, and relate themselves to the text.

Night, written by Elie Wiesel tells the story of what a teenage boy had to live through during the Holocaust in the 1940s. So far, in my opinion the reading has been not only disturbing on numerous levels, but it deeply saddens me to have to read through what a survivor of all of this madness had to live through. That of course is the sign of a good book; feeling compassion and in this case sadness about the story being told. While Eliezer and his family were living in the town of Sighet, Transylvania (along with the other  Jewish families who lived there) they were forced to leave their home by the German soldiers who had been keeping tabs on their neighborhood. After being forced to run with their belongings on their backs in the unbearable heat, Elie's family, along with about eighty others had to stay in a train for days, headed for Birkenau, while being threatened by the Hungarian Police. There was no room for them to move or leave so they were forced to relieve themselves in the car itself. They clearly weren't being treated as people. For no reason at all they were forced to leave their neighborhoods, their families, and home and brought into the poorest of living conditions where if they chose to speak against what was happening, they would be killed on the spot. As the story progresses the family reaches their first concentration camp. Elie stays with his father while he is separated from his mother and sisters.  "And I walked on with my father, with the men. I didn't know that this was the moment in time and the place where I was leaving my mother and Tzipora forever" (29). Reading this passage was so frightening to me. It made me think about if I was in Elie's position, especially being a girl. Leaving my mother and sisters and never seeing them again. Never realizing that I wouldn't be able to talk to them or know how much longer they would still be alive. I wouldn't be able to handle it, let alone be able to write about it.  The Nazis and Police Officers told the men there that they were nothing. "The three 'veteran' prisoners, needles in hand, tattooed numbers on our left arms. I became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name" (42). These Jews were turned into nobodys.. and for what reason? Because they were Jewish. It astonishes me that people were actually dehumanized to such an extent. That's what shows how strong of a "prisoner" Elie truly was. As a fifteen year old he went through hardships, that no human, let alone a fifteen year old should have to encounter.

Night by Elie Wiesel

Night by Elie Wiesel is an account of Wiesel's time in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Wiesel lived in Sighet, Transylvania. When the German solder first arrived in Sighet, they seemed polite. "They never demanded the impossible, made no offensive remarks, and sometimes even smiled at the lady of the house"(p.10). The soldiers almost gained the peoples' trust. The Jews didn't think the Germans were there to hurt them. They lived their lives without caution. This action soon backfired. The Germans soon arrested the Jewish community leaders. They set up ghettos where the Jewish people were supposed to live. Next, they were told to give up all their jewelry, gold, and any valuables. The Jweish people were forced to wear the "yellow star" which identified them as Jews. Wiesel's father tried to comfort the people by saying "The yellow star? So what? It's not lethal..."(p.11). Wiesel asks if this yellow star is not lethal then why were so many Jews killed because of it? Wiesel and his family had a chance to flee and go stay with a former maid. Mr. Wiesel wouldn't hear any of it. He choose to keep his family in Sighet. One day all the Jews were to pack their bags and valuables because they were soon to be transported to some unknown location. People were packed into cattle cars. They were dehydrated, and they were starving. One women was so distraught about being seperated from her husband and two other sons that we should scream "fire, fire" randomly. Was she crazy? Or did she really see the fire burning in the chimneys at Auschwitz? Inmates were yelling at Wiesel and the others. They were beaten repeatedly for no reason. They were stripped of their identities. They were stripped of all their clothes, their heads were shaven, and they were tattooed with numbers which was the way they were now identified. What is worse: dying Elie Wiesel or being stripped of your entire identity, having to go by the number tattooed on your arm? For those who survived, their hair grew back, they were called by their names, and even the tattoos faded. What these people lived through, the family and friends they lost, and the livese they saw perish before them, will live with them for eternity.

Night, by Elie Wiesel, is the story of a young man's survival through the Holocaust during the 1940s. During this time there was chaos swarming throughought Europe, but somehow, Wiesel's village, Sighet,Transylvania, remains calm in the beginning. Moishe the Beadle returned to Sighet after he had been deported. Wiesel tells the reader, "Even I did not believe him. I often sat with him after services, and I listened to his tales, trying to understand his grief," (p7). Moishe tried warning the others of the camps and what the Nazis were actually doing. Was everyone honestly not understanding or did the people choose not to understand and choose to believe that it just wouldn't happen to them? Is it possible that they were all naive and didn't want others to worry? Moishe says, "But I wanted to come back to warn you. Only no one is listening to me..." (p7). I think Moishe, here, is offended that he is trying to save the lives of the people in the village, but no one thinks he is fully telling the truth. The people of Sighet were being optimistic. The cattle cars of the Nazis had finally arrived, and the Germans were seeming as though they were polite, which made the impression that they wouldn't do harm. The Jews "were still smiling" (p10). They let their guards down too soon because about a week later, the Germans began herding them into the cars to be sent away. When told to wear a yellow star that would identify them as Jews, Wiesel's father saw it as their punishment and that it wouldn't get much worse than that. Was he among the others who are naive?...Or was he just trying to keep his family from worrying? Finally, Mrs. Schachter had been screaming of a fire because she is most likely mentally unstable at the moment. The others in the car had slapped her and gagged her to keep her quiet. How would you react if you were in a crowded place, unknowing of where you are headed, scared for your life, and someone is screaming the top of her lungs, annoying you even more? I, personally, don't think I would be able to handle it. I'd most likely have a mental breakdown. Although under the circumstances, some were able to keep optimistic.

         Elie Wiesel has certainly experienced an astounding amount of hardships in his life, especially during the holocaust that draw readers' attention from the first page. During the reading, I noticed that the Wiesel family had the chance to escape and go with a friend, but they stayed. I know they didn't know exactly what was going to happen to them, but why stay to find out? It perplexes me that they wouldn't take the chance to get away when they had one. While reading Night, I noticed many examples of disturbing actions that were taken against the Jews by the Nazis. I strongly disagree with that they did to those poor human beings. They were stripped of anything and everything they know; their heads were shaved, their clothes were taken from them, and anything of value they had with them was stolen. Elie, and everyone else, was forced to separate from their beloved family members, not knowing when they would be seen again. I find it especially horrifying how no one cared at all their lives. For example, when Elie's group first arrives to the camp, they are threatened to be "shot like dogs" if any of them try to escape (24). Here they are being forced against their will to cooperate with the Nazis, and they have no clue of what's going on, and their lives are being threatened. Another example is, Another inmate is talking to Elie and his father telling them, "Do you see the chimney over there?... Over there will be your grave... You will be burned! Burned to a cinder! Turned into ashes!" (31). I can't even imagine what it's like to stare death in the face like that. Being faced with a situation like that seems so unbearable. Children and adults alike were thrown into the flames as if it was nothing (32). At only age 15, Elie Wiesel was considering suicide to escape what lie ahead. To make a 15 year old think about ending their own life is atrocious, and something no one should have to experience. How does a human do something like that to another human with feelings of no remorse? Elie was belittled to the point where he felt worthless. To go from being someone with a life and a family to an unknown being in the matter of a day is just unimaginative and so unfathomable, but it is what happened to more than 11 million people that were forced to live in the concentration camps.

A link that I found that gives more information on what exactly happened during the holocaust is: http://frank.mtsu.edu/~baustin/holocamp.html