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.
Kim, I completely agree with what you posted about Moishe. I found it ironic that they chose to not listen to him, because he turned out to be right. Had they listened, some may have been able to escape what was coming ahead. I wonder if he blames himself for what happened, because he couldn't get anyone to believe him, even though it is in no way his fault. Or maybe he is angry at them for not listening because they are about to come face to face with death. You bring up a good point about whether they were choosing not to believe or if they actually didn't understand. Trying to put myself in their position, I can see how it would be hard to believe that the people who have been kindly living with them for about a week are now going to scar their lives forever. However, like you said, they are trying to be optimistic, which in this situation ultimately made it worse for them. What you said about Mrs. Schachter is also very true. With everyone being crammed in the cart with unbearable heat is already bad enough, never mind someone screaming about a fire that is not even there. Especially when they are already scared for their lives, they don't need that added to it. If she kept acting up, they could have been killed for it. I completely understand why they did what they did. I also feel some remorse for Mrs. Schachter, because she obviously wasn't herself and that may have been her way of trying to cope with her surroundings. Also, her own son had to watch those awful things being done to his mother by complete strangers. All in all, I very much agree with your opinion on those events in the chapter.
ReplyDelete