Elie?s main purpose of writing the novel Night is to describe to the reader the horrifying scenes and feelings he suffered through as a Jewish boy during the holocaust. The Book Night was the autobiography of Eliezer Wiesel. This was ahorrible and sobering tale of his life story. The story takes place inSighet, Transylvania. It’s the year 1941 and World War II is occurring.
Elie was 12 at this time and wasn’t aware of what was occurringIn the world concerning the Jewish people. He had a friend who went by theName Moshe the Beadle. Moshe tried warning Elie and others that the holocaust was coming but no one wanted to believe him. There are many themes in the novel Night; some of these include loss of faith, father-son relationships, and loss of hope.
One of the themes that show the effect of the holocaust is the theme of Elie?s change in faith. In the book of Night, Elie says ?what kind of God would allow these things to happen?? (Qtd, in Winters par. 8). In that quote Elie is referring to the horrific acts of discrimination that the Nazis use on the Jews. Elie was not only struggling with just faith in God but also faith in humanity, in himself, and in language.
By the end of the book of Night, Elie struggled in every aspect of faith because of all the daily discrimination and corruption in the concentration camp. Elie begins to question himself asking why he lives, breathes, or prays. Another theme in the effect of the holocaust is Elie?s relationship with his father. Elie?s relationship with his father begins to strengthen more and more throughout the book.
Elie begins to realize that his father and he are starting to build a stronger relationship, which you will find in his quote ?I ran off to look for my father. And at the same time I was afraid of having to wish him a Happy New Year when I no longer believed it. He was standing near the wall, bowed down, his shoulders sagging as though beneath a heavy burden. I went up to him, took his hand and kissed it. A tear fell upon it. Whose was that tear? Mine? His? I said nothing.
Nor did he. We had never understood each other so clearly. ? (Qtd in Dougherty par. 10 and 11).
This theme can be seen throughout the novel with many fathers and sons. Elie has a very strong relationship with his father. His main reason for not giving up in the camps is so his father is not alone. Some relationships are not like Elie?s and his father?s.
One son purposely loses his father so that he does not annoy him and another son beats his own father to death just for food. The final theme of the novel Night is the theme of hope. As Elie starts to lose faith in God he loses faith in hope as well. He finds a loss in hope from the sight of all the despair, destruction, and disorder that he has to see every day in the camp. Elie begins to feel the scarcity in the thoughts and feelings of hopelessness and loneliness.
Elie spends his days and nights in place full of sorrow, no compassion, and disobedience which pulls him farther and farther away from belief in religion and belief in hope.
