If they would have only listened to Beetle! That was my only thought after reading Elie Wiesel s Night. This graphic story of a fifteen year old boy s life in concentration camps made me realize just how bad Jewish citizens had it during the reign of Adolph Hitler. Women, children, and men of all ages were killed for not being able to work for the Germans. The way Elie describes everything was amazing. I read the book in one sitting if that tells you anything.
Since I have really never heard these World War II stories, to me, he will be the voice of all the Jewish members that were treated so poorly. This one story will stay etched in my mind when World War II is mentioned. The Jewish community s daily life working, praying, or attending school was soon brought to an end. Many heard rumors German armies were coming, but few believed them. One always thinks it will never happen to him. That is the way humans were then, and the way they are today. Same thing goes here. They knew in plenty of time to evacuate their houses. Not many chose to. Soon after the German invasion, their lives were changed tremendously. Weisel mentions how everyone was reduced to the same social class when they were forced to leave all of their belongings behind. And, in a sense, I guess he was right.
Without those materialistic belongings they were the same. I think it made it easier for them to stick together in the beginning. The government structure in this book, also known as the Fascist Party, played a large part in this short novel. From day one when they entered the Jewish communities, until the last page of the book, unjust government plagued the Weisel family.
The part that got to me the most was probably the inspections they had to undergo sporadically. I could not imagine standing, waiting, to see if my next step would be into a crematory, or out in the snow carrying bricks for people I loathed. Neither of the two are dreams. I guess they were lucky to stay alive the ones who did at least. But, in the book, this part also touched me the most. I am speaking of when one of the Jewish prisoners said that he wondered if this was like judgement day was like. Because, really, when you get right down to it, what else could it be like?
Another fact that I did not realize is that many prisoners did not have a clue of what was happening. I mean, even though there was a war happening, they felt that they were in no danger. When they were evacuated to the camps, they had no clue what poor conditions lied ahead of them. I am sure I would have been the same. But when reading this story I was just in awe. How can someone think positively with the facts, or even myths, that their fellow people had been put to death in such a careless way? I know I would not have survived. Well, for one, I am a woman. But even if I could have made it passed that obstacle, I am sure I would not have had high enough hopes for surviving like so many of them did.
That is what got Elie through the whole situation, I am sure of it. If it weren t for his belief in God, or his love for his father, he would have dropped out of the camp in the first week. And when his belief in God failed him, his father pulled him through. I still do not see how a fifteen-year-old could have done it!The Jewish males who survived had a tremendous faith in God. That is one thing that kept them going.
But, after all that they went through, I know their spirits must have been ripped from them. Weisel resided in France after his time in the camps. I did not think he would return to his homeland. He said he did not want revenge and that he was just glad it was over. That s the part I did not understand. How can he not want revenge? I guess he was a better person then I would have been. Maybe he learned more from going through this, but I dont know how he coped with the situation afterwards. Its a shame that this event even took place. Their lives, their spirits, and their family ripped from them once again, I don t know how they did it!
