Night

Every book has a defining characteristic that makes it original and special. In Night by Elie Wiesel figurative language is not the characteristic that makes the book good, but the way it is used puts the book in a category of its own. The techniques Wiesel uses to portray his astonishing and detailed memories are through foreshadowing, similes and metaphors. Initially, Moshe the Beadle foreshadows the oncoming butchery, but the people of Sighet are reluctant to believe him. Another example of foreshadowing occurs when a woman riding in the same cattle car as Wiesel further implies the horrible fate of many Jews. Secondly, Wiesel’s use of similes is superb. Before being deported from Sighet, Wiesel’s simile use explains the disbelief within the small town. Lastly, Wiesel uses a metaphor to convey his feelings after his liberation, which shows his horror and state after his ghastly ordeal.
Night’s prominence is greatly attributed to the use of foreshadowing. The best examples of foreshadowing, relate wholly to death. At the outset of the book Wiesel is craving to be more accepted and a more adult figure in his family. He turns to religion as a way for him to progress and become a n

Metaphors in this memoir completely define the book. Identifying terror and emptiness is their main purpose. Wiesel cunningly uses metaphors in the worst of times. He proves that the Holocaust is not about him, but about millions of men, women, and children who were murdered during it. The terror of the camp is one way to look at how everyone is affected from the Holocaust. The hope for liberation is what keeps many of the prisoners alive. Wiesel at this point has lost all of his faith in God and his religion; he stays in the camp with little hope. He gives a vivid description in this metaphor of how the Camp has affected him physically and mentally. “From the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me. The look in his eyes, as they stared into mine has never left me.” This metaphor exemplifies Wiesel’s ability to use his completely diminished state, to prove a colossal point. He is explaining how this ordeal has taken the lives of millions, and yet spared him in his mediocre state. His total being had been sucked out of him, and was expressed through this excellent metaphor.