Wiesel’s Night focuses on the impact of the Holocaust on both the Jewish people and humanity as a whole. Even today, the traumatic disregard for human life and the body continues to instill fear in society. The inhumane actions of the Nazis have permanently marred mankind with hatred and prejudice, leading to ongoing acts of discrimination in the modern era.
The examination of one’s health by a doctor can seemingly lead to the death of an individual who appears unhealthy, which is an unimaginable consequence. Elie, his father, and countless other Jews all undergo this intimidating selection process. This is a universally dreaded and feared experience for Jews. Everyone in the line anxiously waits to see who will survive and who will not, with no knowledge of how they will die.
Similarly, society today encompasses numerous forms of “selections”. At Durfee High School, for example, a multitude of three thousand students is divided into various groups based on their clothing, attitude, intelligence, nationality, and athletic ability. These categories include preps, freaks, gangsters, skaters, jocks, nerds, Americans, Portuguese, Africans, Cambodians, Hispanics, Puerto Ricans, Japanese, and Chinese. Every individual in the world belongs to some form of selection, be it political views or socio-economic status.
In the Holocaust, many people are driven to abandon their family or loved ones due to the brutal conditions. This is exemplified by Rabbi Eliahou’s son, who leaves his father behind as he sees him struggling and falling behind. The son believes that his father can no longer continue. Similarly, Elie feels that his father is taking him for granted and is like a burden dragging him down. The inevitable choice for Elie is to break free from this attachment in order to ensure his own survival.
In present times, we witness this abandonment in pregnant adolescents who are not yet prepared for motherhood. A young girl discards her baby in a dumpster knowing that she is not capable of taking care of it.
By supporting a child at this moment, they will only burden her, just as Elie’s father weighed him down. The girl will be deprived of a joyful childhood, or worse, the baby may hinder her from completing her education. Like Elie and his father, the teenager abandons her baby in order to ensure her own survival.
At the end of the novel, Elie Wiesel undergoes a transformation, losing his identity and becoming devoid of spirit or soul. He is likened to driftwood that has traversed a vast sea of hatred, violence, and prejudice and has absorbed all that it could. Elie is left devoid of emotions, and plagued with numerous inquiries: Does God really exist? And if so, how could He permit such atrocities? Why did He allow them to occur? To this day, Elie Wiesel continues to ponder the existence of God.
When I examine my reflection in the mirror, I witness a young adult who has chosen not to engage in school conflicts rooted in bigotry or the act of mocking another child. This person isn’t without flaws or mistakes in their past, but they also possess a resolute spirit and a promising future. I am like a powerful Mac truck, unstoppable even in the face of occasional discriminatory obstacles.
