“Night” by Elie Wiesel demonstrates the true horrors that Jewish people lived through during World War II. Never having read this book before, I wasn’t ready for the emotional experiences this book has to share. Consistently I found myself full of emotions as I read Wiesel’s words.
My father has always been obsessed with WWII and he constantly is watching the History Channel’s programming on the various concentration camps that happened. Therefore, I have plenty of background with the concentration camps that were happening throughout the war. Yet, reading this book and experiencing them through the eyes of Elie, was truly horrifying. Listening to what these people had to go through in order to survive in this period of time changed my perceptive on the world.
Seeing the process actually take place in the eyes of the Jewish people was surprising. At first rounding all of the Jewish people from the Ghetto was peaceful, but that soon changes. Seeing how the German army was able to manipulate the people and make them disappear without any word of it getting out is incredible. Also, how Moishe the Beadle was completely ignored despite his efforts to save the people in the village. These people could have easily avoided the concentration camps if they had listened to this man. There are a couple times where Elie had to watch his father get beat for no apparent reason. For instance, one of the guards ends up smacking his father so hard he fell to the ground, he then proceeded to crawl away. Reading this immediately made me feel the anger that young Elie felt during this scene. Lastly, the book does a good job of painting the picture in the reader's mind. Seeing the bodies entering the crematory, Elie’s mom and sisters walking away forever, and seeing Elie watch his father die were truly mind altering. Watching Elie and his father being moved to the last concentration camp still hunts me. I couldn’t imagine watching people fighting for food, dying in the cold without clothes, or watching my dad almost get thrown off the train as he is freezing to death.
All these events are what we miss in history classes. Reading this book truly has informed me of the horrible things the Germans did. The book fills the gaps that we aren’t necessarily taught in public education. Everyone should take time out of their day to read this novel. Reading this book was a humbling experience that made me realize how lucky I am to be here today. It makes you realize just how much some people go through in order to be where they are at. “Night” will be used in my future classroom. Currently, my placement high school is preparing to read this novel and I hope to craft some lessons around this piece. Using this story not only allows me to craft lessons around it but leaves the students with a humbling experience. This book has definitely earned its spot on my bookshelf.
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