A person only has to Google the term Holocaust to find that there are a number of books that fall into this genre that a teacher could choose to use for a holocaust unit for either a social studies class or a literary class. The fact that the protagonist in Night by Elie Wiesel is only 14 years old when World War II began makes this an appealing book for teens to read. What makes this book unique from other books with a young protagonist is the relationship Eliezer Wiesel has with his father. For the majority of the story, the father and son remain together and it is their relationship and support of each other that helps Eliezer to survive.
One of the most interesting aspects of this novel is the way in which it explores the human condition and how human perception is colored by the trauma one endures. Prior to World War II the earthly possessions the Jewish people owned were things they took pride in. However, when the Jews were forced to evacuate their homes, they were forced to leave their valuable items behind. In the days and months ahead, however, when they thought of valuables, their mind was no longer reflecting on the materials possessions they left behind but on a piece of bread or a portion of soup. Water and food had become their most valuable possessions. So much so they were willing to fight for it. The guard had recognized the survival instinct that had overcome the prisoners and used it as a form of amusement. It began with a worker throwing a piece of bread into a wagon filled with Jewish prisoners. “In the wagon where the bread had landed, a battle had ensued. Men were hurling themselves against each other, trampling, tearing at and mauling each other. Beasts of prey unleashed, animal hate in their eyes. An extraordinary vitality possessed them, sharpening their teeth and nails” (p 101). This scene caught the attention of other people who were passing by and they soon tossed more bread into the wagons to watch the prisoners battle for the food as if it were some game. But it was far from a game as the instinct for survival had caused a man to kill his own father over a crust of bread, even when his father was willing to share.
As the suffering in the concentration camps continued, family relationships became burdened. Often the fathers did not fare as well in the camps as their young sons and for a son to continuously assist their father could mean greater potential of loss of life for the son as well. As a result, one father, Rabbi Eliahou, found himself separated from his son during a march. The son no longer wanted to be responsible for the welfare of his weak father and had purposefully left his father’s side. In the concentration camp, personal survival triumphed over everything, including family. When Eliezer’s father lay dying in the barracks a guard reminded Eliezer of this fact. “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. Let me give you good advice: stop giving your ration of bread and soup to your old father. You cannot help him anymore. And you are hurting yourself. In fact, you should be getting his rations…” (p 110-111). Although Eliezer agreed with the guard, out of guilt he retained his empathy for his father and even ran to bring his father some soup. However, later that evening when a guard was beating his father for calling out to his son for water, Eliezer lay silently in his overhead cot and did not intervene. In fact when he father died, Eliezer did not weep but in fact thought “Free at last!” (p112).
Even though the prisoners were being tortured themselves, it did not deter them from inflicting pain on one of their own. While being transported in a cattle car by train, Mrs. Schachter began to scream about seeing flames. The rest of the prisoners had no idea the woman was seeing the future and the flames of the crematorium. Instead they thought she was delusional. With their own nerves stressed there was no place left for empathy for the woman and her cries and so they attacked her as if she were their enemy. “Our nerves had reached a breaking point. Our very skin was aching. It was as though madness had infected all of us. We gave up. A few young men forced her to sit down, then bound and gagged her” (p 26). A few hours later when the woman broke free from her bondage and began to scream again the group bound and gagged her again and this time kicked her several times in the head while her son clung to her and looked on. Instead of stopping the perpetrators, the rest of the people in the car cheered on their actions. Eventually they would all come to see for themselves the flames Mrs. Schachter had alluded to.
With a sense of superiority over the Jews, the Gestapo dehumanized them and treated them as objects rather than people. If this were not true they would not have been able to commit these actions. “Without passion or haste, they shot their prisoners, who were forced to approach the trench one by one and offer their necks. Infants were tossed into the air and used as targets for the machine guns” (p 6). All of this is horrific but the part about the infants was hard to believe. Infants are totally helpless and typically if you watch human interaction whenever an infant is present they can usually prompt a smile from even the grumpiest stranger. So to have the Gestapo treat them as if they were practice disks is really disturbing. I believe all the inhumane actions that took place during the Holocaust shows the fine veil that separates humans from wild animals for given the right circumstances the empathy for others that distinguishes us from other animals disintegrates.
I would recommend this book for use in a literature class when studying the Holocaust as it gives a vivid account of the ordeals faced by the Jews as a result of racism and hatred for those who are different. It also provides a haunting reminder that if we are not careful we will lose touch with what makes us human, reducing us to nothing more than wild animals. Hopefully through the study of novels such as this, future generations will learn to appreciate and respect diversity, thereby insuring that a tragedy such as the Holocaust is never allowed to repeat itself.
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