1. THEME THESIS: When you are faced with death, values are forgotten, and cruelness replaces humanity because in the darkness of the world, it becomes every man for himself.
-"I did not weep and it pained me that I could not weep. But I had no more tears... I might perhaps found something like--Free at last!"The need to survive was so important Elie felt relieved that his father passed. As if a burden was being lifted from his shoulders. This is very inhumane, because most people would be devastated if their parent passed away. But in the holocaust, many of the sons felt as if their fathers were holding them back.
-"Without passion, without haste, they slaughtered their prisoners." (4)
German soldiers did not even think twice about killing their prisoners. They just killed them because they could. The SS did not have to explain why they killed the prisoners, they were entitled to do anything to them.
-"Dozens of starving men fought each other to the death for a few crumbs." (95)
-“Felled to the ground, stunned with blows, the old man cried: ‘Meir. Meir, my boy! Don’t you recognize me? I’m your father...you’re killing your father! I’ve got some bread...for you too...for you too…” (96)One son in the camp believed that he needed the bread and wanted it so bad that he killed his own father to eat it. Starvation can turn humans to act as if they were wild animals.
-"Its the end. God is no longer with us."(73)
-"Where is merciful God, where is He?" (64)
-"...Where is the divine Mercy? Where is God? How can I believe, how could anyone believe, in this merciful God?’ Poor Akiba Drumer...” (73)
When the young child was hung, though many people believed and were very religious before the camp, they now questioned everything. Questioned all the things they valued in life and wondering where god was at that moment.
-“Listen to me, kid. Don’t forget that you are in a concentration camp. 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 lives and dies alone." (110)
In life, Elie Wiesel was taught to value and treat others with respect but being in the camp all he heard was to leave his father and make it on his own. Many prisoners believed he was dumb staying with his father because his father slowed both of them down. He loved his father but when he spent months at the camp he started to have thoughts of leaving his father behind.
2. CHARACTER THESIS: When faced with challenges in life, people give up and quit. However, in the novel Night by Elie Wiesel he showed that positivity and determination can overcome anything no matter how tough the obstacle.-"I did not weep and it pained me that I could not weep. But I had no more tears... I might perhaps found something like--Free at last!"The need to survive was so important Elie felt relieved that his father passed. As if a burden was being lifted from his shoulders. This is very inhumane, because most people would be devastated if their parent passed away. But in the holocaust, many of the sons felt as if their fathers were holding them back.
-"Without passion, without haste, they slaughtered their prisoners." (4)
German soldiers did not even think twice about killing their prisoners. They just killed them because they could. The SS did not have to explain why they killed the prisoners, they were entitled to do anything to them.
-"Dozens of starving men fought each other to the death for a few crumbs." (95)
-“Felled to the ground, stunned with blows, the old man cried: ‘Meir. Meir, my boy! Don’t you recognize me? I’m your father...you’re killing your father! I’ve got some bread...for you too...for you too…” (96)One son in the camp believed that he needed the bread and wanted it so bad that he killed his own father to eat it. Starvation can turn humans to act as if they were wild animals.
-"Its the end. God is no longer with us."(73)
-"Where is merciful God, where is He?" (64)
-"...Where is the divine Mercy? Where is God? How can I believe, how could anyone believe, in this merciful God?’ Poor Akiba Drumer...” (73)
When the young child was hung, though many people believed and were very religious before the camp, they now questioned everything. Questioned all the things they valued in life and wondering where god was at that moment.
-“Listen to me, kid. Don’t forget that you are in a concentration camp. 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 lives and dies alone." (110)
In life, Elie Wiesel was taught to value and treat others with respect but being in the camp all he heard was to leave his father and make it on his own. Many prisoners believed he was dumb staying with his father because his father slowed both of them down. He loved his father but when he spent months at the camp he started to have thoughts of leaving his father behind.
-"With luck the Russians would be here before evacuation. Hope revived again." When on the verge of dying from starvation, the prisoners did anything they could to get a few crumbs of bread. They did not care who they hurt or even if they killed another person as long as they got food for themselves. -“Listen to me, kid. Don’t forget that you are in a concentration camp. 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 lives and dies alone." (110)"My fathers presence was the one thing that stopped me. I had no right to let myself die."Although there were days Elie wanted to be dead, he knew that he could not leave his father behind which pushed him to stay alive. He fought past many different obstacles and survived different beatings believing he could take it because his father took much worse.
-"Don't talk like that father, you need them as much as I do. We will see each other again this evening"
-"Wait a bit, Zalman. We shall all be stopping soon. We're not going to run like this till the end of the world." (82)
-"Father, get up from here. Immediately! You're killing yourself." (100)`
Fellow prisoners often talked to Elie about giving up and just taking their own life. He was often the one to push people to keep going and to keep fighting including his father. He gave hope to people and tried to remain faithful himself.
-"But we no longer feared death, in any event not this particular death. Every bomb that hit filled us with joy, gave us renewed confidence.” (60).
-"Don't think, don' stop. Run." (81)
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