Night by Elie Wisel is a memoir about the author's experiences at 5 different concentration camps; the mood is intensely gloomy to the point of total tragedy. The dehumanizing manner in which the Germans put different ethnic groups through gives an uncanny feeling through out the reading of this book.
The journeys on the cattle wagons in the morning gave these people newfound glory. Not because they had a great chance to die during that day, but because they lived to see the next day. Just the hint of sunlight gave these people something to smile about. As the sun fell an uneasy tension came over the people, then instead of the sun giving them light they had the fire pits in which the innocent babies were being thrown into. The prisoners are starved, tortured, and often murdered. They never know if they will be alive the next day or the next hour. Fear is ever present. Much of the book takes place in winter, which makes the mood even gloomier. Even the title of the book, Night, suggests darkness and emptiness. .
During the reading of this book I developed a new meaning for the word "night". Night is when people go to sleep, when things get scary and when dark places during the day become even darker. What makes the book have even more of an impact is the fact that Elie doesn't even know if God exist anymore. From an early age, Elie Wiesel has a tremendous love for religion, wanting to study the Cabbala and Talmud. When he is first imprisoned, it is his faith that helps him survive. Like most of the Jews, he prays regularly for an end to the persecution and strength to survive. His faith, however, is shaken when he sees the depth of the atrocities committed against his fellow Jews. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, he finds that he cannot even pray, questioning if .
God exists amongst such cruelty to mankind. .
The radical horror that results from extreme prejudice displayed by Hitler at this time terrifies the people imprisoned at the concentration camps.
