Elie Wiesel explains that he wrote his memoir Night out of a duty to bear witness to his experiences in the Holocaust.
Contents
What is the purpose of the story Night?
What Was the Purpose of the Book Night? Elie Wiesel’s book Night provides an account of his experience in the Nazi concentration camps. The action takes place during WWII. The book’s purpose was to preserve the record of the ordeal to prevent history from repeating itself.
Moreover, the author aimed to explain the nature of the terrors witnessed by the Holocaust survivors. Detailed answer: The book Night was written in 1960 by Elie Wiesel. He is a Romanian-born American writer, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. It describes his experience in Auschwitz and Buchenwald camps during World War II.
The book was translated into 30 languages. Moreover, it is one of the most prominent examples of Holocaust literature. It was initially written in Yiddish as an 862-page manuscript. Then, Wiesel edited the book down to 178 pages for the French publication.
In 1960, the English translation was published, with the text reduced to 116 pages. It is the first book in a trilogy: Night, Dawn, Day, that describes the author’s transition from darkness to light. Wiesel was born in 1928. His native town was Sighet. In 1944, the town was invaded by the Nazis, and Wiesel’s family was transferred to Auschwitz.
Here, Elie was separated from his sisters and mother and deported to Buna with his father. They spent the following two years in the concentration camps. Here they worked under slave-labor conditions and lived inside cramped barracks, struggling to survive.
Elie’s father died in January 1945, three months before the United States Army liberated the camp. The book describes the terror and despair that Elie witnessed during his time in the camp. He is forced to watch the death of fellow prisoners and children. The horrific conditions where he lived made the boy feel the constant fear of death.
Wiesel feels an increasing disgust for humanity. Many of the prisoners start to slide into cruelty, concerned only with personal survival. Elie’s father slowly declines into helplessness. It makes Eliezer experience guilt and shame having to serve as his caregiver.
- Gradually, Elie himself starts to lose his humanity and faith both in God and in the people.
- At the beginning of the book, Wiesel explicitly describes its purpose.
- He wanted to leave behind a legacy of words to help prevent history from repeating itself.
- Wiesel regards his life as that of a witness who believes that he has a moral obligation to try to prevent the enemy from “enjoying one last victory by allowing his crimes to be erased from human,” As for his personal reasons, he, “Did I write it so as not to go mad, or, on the contrary, to go mad in order to understand the nature of madness?” Basically, he tries to explain to himself the nature of the terrors that he witnessed.
Moreover, he wants to share his pain with the people who could have never imagined them possible. The critics argue whether the book should be regarded as a memoir or fiction. The initial 862-page version was a long historical work. When it was shortened for the English translation, the power of the narrative was achieved trough literal truth.
The book produces an impact not because of its language or historical accuracy. It influences the readers because of the emotional power of the story itself. Franklin, “The reason Night is incomparably devastating has less to do with the facts of Wiesel’s story than with the way he tells them.” The purpose of the book is to tell the story of the terrors of Nazism.
Wiesel effectively achieved it through a simple but emotionally powerful narrative. Looking for an inspiring idea for a paper on Night by Elie Wiesel? Take a look at our to find the perfect one! Reference IvyPanda. (2022, April 21). What Was the Purpose of the Book Night? https://ivypanda.com/q/what-was-the-purpose-of-the-book-night/ Reference IvyPanda.
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Silence – In one of Night ‘s most famous passages, Eliezer states, “Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live.” It is the idea of God’s silence that he finds most troubling, as this description of an event at Buna reveals: as the Gestapo hangs a young boy, a man asks, “Where is God?” yet the only response is “otal silence throughout the camp.” Eliezer and his companions are left to wonder how an all-knowing, all-powerful God can allow such horror and cruelty to occur, especially to such devout worshipers.
The existence of this horror, and the lack of a divine response, forever shakes Eliezer’s faith in God. Read more about the silence of God in Shūsaku Endō’s Silence, It is worth noting that God’s silence during the hanging of the young boy recalls the story of the Akedah—the Binding of Isaac—found in the Hebrew Scriptures (Genesis 22).
In the Akedah, God decides to test the faith of Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham does not doubt his God, and he ties Isaac to a sacrificial altar. He raises a knife to kill the boy, but at the last minute God sends an angel to save Isaac.
- The angel explains that God merely wanted to test Abraham’s faith and, of course, would never permit him to shed innocent blood.
- Unlike the God in Night, the God in the Akedah is not silent.
- Night can be read as a reversal of the Akedah story: at the moment of a horrible sacrifice, God does not intervene to save innocent lives.
There is no angel swooping down as masses burn in the crematorium, or as Eliezer’s father lies beaten and bloodied. Eliezer and the other prisoners call out for God, and their only response is silence; during his first night at Birkenau, Eliezer says, “The Eternal,
was silent. What had I to thank Him for?” The lesson Eliezer learns is the opposite of the lesson taught in the Bible. The moral of the Akedah is that God demands sacrifice but is ultimately compassionate. During the Holocaust, however, Eliezer feels that God’s silence demonstrates the absence of divine compassion; as a result, he ultimately questions the very existence of God.
There is also a second type of silence operating throughout Night : the silence of the victims, and the lack of resistance to the Nazi threat. When his father is beaten at the end of his life, Eliezer remembers, “I did not move. I was afraid,” and he feels guilty about his inaction.
The author’s intended audience for this book are young adults and teens, both men and woman. This seems like a topic that a young high school or college student would like to read about.
What is the main message of the book Night?
The main idea of the novel involves Eliezer pondering God’s existence and nature in the face of the untold brutality of the Holocaust.
What is significance of Night in the memoir?
Night – Night is used throughout the book to symbolize death, darkness of the soul, and loss of faith. As an image, it comes up repeatedly. Even when the scene is literally set during the day, night may be invoked. Consider all the terrible things that happen at night: Mrs.
Schächter has her visions of fire, hell, and death; Eliezer and his father arrive at Auschwitz and see the smokestacks and wait in line all night long with the smell of death in their noses; there is the night the soup tastes like corpses; they march through long nights and, stacked on top of each other, smother each other to death in the night; Eliezer’s father dies during the night.
As Eliezer says himself, “The days were like nights, and the nights left the dregs of their darkness in our souls” (7.22). Night is thus a metaphor for the way the soul was submerged in suffering and hopelessness.
In creative writing, an author uses setting to create a context for the action, character development, and conflict in short stories and novels.
In what point of view was the book Night written?
Full title Night Author Elie Wiesel Type of work Literary memoir Genre World War II and Holocaust autobiography Language Wiesel first wrote an 800-page text in Yiddish titled Un di Velt Hot Geshvign (And the World Remained Silent). The work later evolved into the much-shorter French publication La Nuit, which was then translated into English as Night.
- Time and place written Mid-1950s, Paris.
- Wiesel began writing after a ten-year self-imposed vow of silence about the Holocaust.
- Date of first publication Un di Velt Hot Geshvign was first published in 1956 in Buenos Aires.
- La Nuit was published in France in 1958, and the English translation was published in 1960.
Publisher Unión Central Israelita Polaca (in Buenos Aires); Les Editions de Minuit (in France); Hill & Wang (in the United States) Narrator Eliezer (a slightly fictionalized version of Elie Wiesel) Point of view Eliezer speaks in the first person and always relates the autobiographical events from his perspective.
Tone Eliezer’s perspective is limited to his own experience, and the tone of Night is therefore intensely personal, subjective, and intimate. Night is not meant to be an all-encompassing discourse on the experience of the Holocaust; instead, it depicts the extraordinarily personal and painful experiences of a single victim.
Tense Past Setting (time) 1941–1945, during World War II Settings (place) Eliezer’s story begins in Sighet, Transylvania (now part of Romania; during Wiesel’s childhood, part of Hungary). The book then follows his journey through several concentration camps in Europe: Auschwitz/Birkenau (in a part of modern-day Poland that had been annexed by Germany in 1939), Buna (a camp that was part of the Auschwitz complex), Gleiwitz (also in Poland but annexed by Germany), and Buchenwald (Germany).
Protagonist Eliezer Major conflict Eliezer’s struggles with Nazi persecution, and with his own faith in God and in humanity Rising action Eliezer’s journey through the various concentration camps and the subsequent deterioration of his father and himself Climax The death of Eliezer’s father Falling action The liberation of the concentration camps, the time spent in silence between Eliezer’s liberation and Elie Wiesel’s decision to write about his experience, referred to in the memoir when Eliezer jumps ahead to events that happened after the Holocaust Themes Eliezer’s struggle to maintain faith in a benevolent God; silence; inhumanity toward other humans; the importance of father-son bonds Motifs Tradition, religious observance, descriptions of weather Symbols Night, fire, music Foreshadowing Night does not operate like a novel, using foreshadowing to hint at surprises to come.
The pall of tragedy hangs over the entire novel, however. Even as early as the work’s dedication, “In memory of my parents and my little sister, Tzipora,” Wiesel makes it evident that Eliezer will be the only significant character in the book who survives the war.
What is the irony in the memoir Night?
Wiesel uniquely uses irony in his memoir to show readers the horrors he and his family experienced in the Holocaust. Another example of dramatic irony is when the father decides that they should leave Buna at Auschwitz for another camp, and the people at Buna are freed two days later.
How is Night used as a metaphor in Night?
Night – Night is used throughout the book to symbolize death, darkness of the soul, and loss of faith. As an image, it comes up repeatedly. Even when the scene is literally set during the day, night may be invoked. Consider all the terrible things that happen at night: Mrs.
Schächter has her visions of fire, hell, and death; Eliezer and his father arrive at Auschwitz and see the smokestacks and wait in line all night long with the smell of death in their noses; there is the night the soup tastes like corpses; they march through long nights and, stacked on top of each other, smother each other to death in the night; Eliezer’s father dies during the night.
As Eliezer says himself, “The days were like nights, and the nights left the dregs of their darkness in our souls” (7.22). Night is thus a metaphor for the way the soul was submerged in suffering and hopelessness.
What is the climax of the memoir Night?
Lesson Summary After a forty mile journey in the snow, his father becomes ill. Elie tries to save him, but it is too late. By the end of the novel, Elie is just a reflection of who he once was. The climax of a story is the moment of crisis, in this case, when Elie’s father dies.
An author’s purpose is the main reason he or she has for writing. The three basic purposes are to inform, to persuade, and to entertain.
An author’s purpose is his or her reason for creating a particular work. Can a piece of writing have more than one author’s purpose?, a piece of writing can have more than one author’s purpose. For example, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s author’s purposes are to entertain and to inform.
What is the purpose of setting in a story?
Why is the setting of a story important? – The setting of a story is important because it provides the reader with context on the time, place, and environment that the story takes place in. It is also important because it improves the reader’s experience and adds to the story’s development with plot, mood, and characters.
What is the moral of the story dark Night?
Christopher Nolan is known for taking seemingly simple stories and turning them into compelling and intriguing cinematic experience that not only entertain us, but talk to us on an intellectual, cerebral and emotional level. ‘The Dark Knight Trilogy’ is also one of the Nolan masterpieces. Batman remained consistent with the core values that are the importance of justice and morality. The strong moral component of Batman’s character is not to kill another person. No one, yes, no one was able to digress Batman from his morals and values.2. Conquer your Fears 
Everyone is afraid of something or the other. The only way we can go ahead in life is by overcoming that fear. Bruce Wayne had fear of bats since childhood. He conquered fear of bats and used it as a symbol to fight against the crime.3. Learn to Rise Can we learn to rise if we never fall? The scene from ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ where Bruce Wayne climbs out of the pit will give you goosebumps and also make you feel confident.4. Be there for the special person Being there for that person matters the most even if the person doesn’t like you. It is the best feeling we can have. No matter what, Bruce always protected the ones he cared for.5. Everyone has to struggle in Life The struggles in life is for all. The only thing that matters is how we overcome them and convert them into our strength. The son of Thomas Wayne, Bruce was born with a golden spoon. He had everything but just one event where his parents were killed changed his entire life. He left all the wealth to discover other side of him and eventually, became Batman.6. Enemies help you learn and grow Ra’s al Ghul, Joker, Two Face, Bane, Talia al Ghul and many more. Enemies are necessary. You have to keep fighting them. This will help you to learn from the defeats and grow in the future.7. There is always a way Out 
Just when we thought, Bruce Wayne is dead and won’t come back again. He never failed to surprise.8. Be a Symbol People, consciously or unconsciously create a symbol that represent more than themselves. A symbol can become a brand, just as Steve Jobs created with Apple. People will follow a symbol, just as the soldiers follow a flag into the battle field. Post Views: 12,147
What is the purpose of irony in Night?
Elie Wiesel’s 1960 memoir Night uses irony to expose the terrifying realities of the concentration camps that his family was sent to during the Holocaust. By engaging both verbal and dramatic irony, Wiesel shows the contrast between the characters’ hopeful expectations and horrifying realities.