Change in Elie Wiesels Night

In Elie Wiesel's gripping memoir "Night," he shares his story as a young Jewish boy living through the Holocaust. Wiesel's detailed and chilling recounting of his time in concentration camps shows the horrors of that dark time in history. Throughout the book, he looks at how the Holocaust changed people and society. This essay will dive into how these changes affected both Wiesel personally and the world as a whole.

A Young Boy’s Innocence

At the start of "Night," Wiesel introduces us to a young boy who’s full of innocence and naivety. His world is one of love, faith, and safety. But as the story moves on, this perfect world gets destroyed, and Wiesel's life is changed forever. The Holocaust forces him to face the worst parts of humanity, as he sees the planned dehumanization and killing of his fellow Jews.

Faith Shattered

One of the most striking changes Wiesel goes through is losing his faith. As a devout young boy, he had a strong bond with his Jewish faith and believed in a kind and good God. But the horrors he sees during the Holocaust shake his faith deeply. He watches innocent people suffer and can't match this with the idea of a kind God. Wiesel writes, "Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust" (Wiesel 34). This sentence captures how deeply the Holocaust affected Wiesel’s faith. The shift from a strong believer to someone who questions God’s existence shows the immense suffering he witnessed.

A Shift in Society

Wiesel losing his faith is not just a personal change—it also shows a bigger change in society. The Holocaust broke the belief in the basic goodness of humans and showed the depths of human evil. The organized dehumanization of Jews and the mass killings challenged the core ideas of right and wrong. Society had to face the darkest sides of human nature and wonder how such evil could happen. Wiesel writes, "The world had become a hermetically sealed cattle car" (Wiesel 35). This image of the world as a cattle car shows the dehumanization and loss of individuality the Holocaust victims experienced. The changes from the Holocaust weren't just personal for Wiesel; they affected society as a whole.

A New Identity

Besides losing his faith, Wiesel’s time in the camps also changes his identity. As he sees the dehumanization and abuse of his fellow Jews, he feels his own humanity being stripped away. The constant hunger, beatings, and loss of loved ones leave deep scars on his mind. He writes, "Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever" (Wiesel 32). This powerful line shows how the Holocaust changed Wiesel’s identity. The shift from a hopeful young boy to a survivor carrying guilt and trauma shows the deep impact of the Holocaust on personal identity.

A Plea for Future Generations

Wiesel’s memoir also acts as a plea to future generations to stop such atrocities from happening again. He writes, "To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time" (Wiesel 32). Through his writing, Wiesel asks us to remember the Holocaust victims and learn from past mistakes. He wants us to face the darkness in ourselves and work towards a fairer and kinder world. This plea shows how the Holocaust changed Wiesel and his wish to inspire positive change in the world.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, Elie Wiesel’s memoir "Night" looks at the theme of change during the Holocaust. Wiesel’s journey from innocence to losing his faith and changing his identity mirrors the societal changes the Holocaust brought. The horrors of that time broke the belief in human goodness and made society face human evil. But Wiesel’s memoir also acts as a call to action, pushing us to remember the Holocaust victims and work towards a better world. Through his moving and vivid writing, Wiesel shows us the power of change and the importance of never forgetting the past.