Website Overview of Elie Wiesel's Book..."Night"

A Summary........

I found this internet site
to be most useful in understanding the profound context for Elie Wiesel's book,"Night".
It breaks the book down into several categories which help to better organize and bring more clarity for further in-depth study of the book. By learning much of the background information (aka "the back story") of the author, this internet link provides historical context from which to gain personal insight and connection into the motivation and mindset of Elie Wiesel, as he wrote his very poignant story about the Holocaust. The book "Night" was initially thought to be too pessimistic in it's subject matter, for publishers, yet now his "memoir stands as one of the most widely
read and taught accounts of the Holocaust. By reading this "overview" of the book, Night, I learned quite a few new things. Elie Wiesel found it easier to write about his horrific experiences by slightly altering the name of the main character in the book..."Eliezer". Even after waiting 10 years to write an account of his life in the concentration camps, it was still quite painful to resurrect those memories. He found it necessary to detach himself further, by mixing truth with some fiction in his writing. For instance, in the story, at one point the character, "Eliezer", wounds his foot, whereas in reality, the real-life Elie, wounded his knee. This study of the book portrays not only the tortuous survival of such a hellish nightmare, but also documents the story of a boy's "emotional journey from a believing Orthodox Jewish boy to a profoundly disenchanted young man who questions the existence of God and, by extension, the humanity of man."

Thoughts on "Night" by Elie Wiesel

The graphic detailed accounts of Elie Wiesel's journey into "hell on earth" has given me much to think about....I am riveted by the magnitude and sheer hatred that held millions hostage without mercy and without much hope for rescue. Hitler and the Nazi nation embodied all that is inhumane & evil. As Elie told about the arduous ordeal of so many families being torn apart & transported in train cars to "death camps"...where the stench of burning flesh permeated the air, and visions so morbid would assault the senses...it is all too much to wrap my head around! As I sat reading the first 47 pages of the book, I was drawn into the world of this young teen, as if I were watching a movie. This forced me to be transported into his reality if only for a brief moment in time, making the details of his life all the more powerful and emotionally evocative. The events that are recounted in this book make me ill, full of sadness and very frustrated that nobody could stop the mass murdering, at it's inception. Even though it is utterly painful to read about these horrific events, I am compelled to read on, so that perhaps I can find some solace at the end of the book...searching for vindication and redemption for a culture of people who never deserved the atrocities so violently thrust upon them.