Types of Dehumanization Depicted in Elie Wiesel's Night

Dehumanization in Historical Context

Dehumanization may be a psychological method where humans read one another as anything but human without thought. Long conflict strains relationships and makes it troublesome for humans to acknowledge and accept that they are a part of a shared human community. Such conditions typically result in feelings of intense emotion and alienation. The psychological feeling can often widen among humans and is usually viewed as inferior or evil.

Types of Dehumanization Depicted in Elie Wiesel's Night

We generally assume that most people believe that we as a whole have basic human rights. Innocents should not be dead or tortured because of different beliefs and or skin color. They need to have their basic wants and needs met and to possess some freedom along with creating autonomous choices. In times of war, like World War II, society needs to protect innocent civilians. Even those guilty should receive a humane punishment and not be subject to any cruel or uncommon social control. Common criteria for exclusion embody ideology, skin color, and social background. We have a tendency to generally dehumanize those who we do not understand and take away their basic values and rights as a human. This can raise cause harming and exploiting “basic rights” of individuals.

Imagine this, you haven't eaten anything in days. You're destitute and running relentlessly for miles to come in the solidifying cold. You run so fast for such a long time, you start to feel nothing. This is a depiction of one of the horrendous experiences the Jews had to endure during the Holocaust. This is how Elie Wiesel felt in Night by Elie Wiesel himself. Wiesel is a Jew during the Holocaust who is sent with his father to different death camps. He faces numerous challenges to the point where he questions his life every day. Throughout Night, there is a lot of dehumanization occurring as starvation, ruthlessness, and forced labor.

Starvation as a Form of Dehumanization

Elie Wiesel regularly experienced starvation as a type of dehumanization. Elie begins to starve when he and everyone else in the concentration camps are not offered anything to eat or drink. "We remained at Gleiwitz for three days. Three days without nourishment or drink" (Wiesel, 2006, p. 91). Elie is shocked when one of the death camps he is sent to for a short amount of time, gave nothing to eat or drink, causing him to starve. After the difficult experience, Elie's stomach starves daily. "One day when we had stopped, a laborer removed a bit of bread from his pack and tossed it into a wagon. There was a rush. Many starving men fought each other to the death for a few crumbs. The German laborers took an enthusiastic interest in this exhibition" (Wiesel, 2006, p. 97). This statement shows that because the Jews were so ravenous, they were willing to surrender their lives, just for a chance to eat a small piece of bread. Due to these experiences, Elie and other Jews grew accustomed to starving and assured each other that when they were liberated, the first thing they would do is eat.

Brutality as Dehumanization

Another type of dehumanization that Elie faces is mercilessness. Elie experiences a considerable amount of fierceness while being in the death camps. "At that point, I knew about only the strokes of the whip" (Wiesel, 2006, p. 55). Since Elie accidentally saw something he wasn't supposed to, he was punished. Elie was laid on a crate and given twenty-five lashes on the back that nearly killed him. Elie's father was struck on the head for no reason. "As if he had suddenly woken up from a heavy nap, he dealt my father such a clout, that he tumbled to the ground, crawling back to his place on all fours" (Wiesel, 2006, p. 37). Elie's father, simply asked the soldier an innocent question. Instead of an answer, he got a brutal hit to the head that nearly knocked him out. Due to these encounters, many Jews were injured and left with scars.

Forced Labor as Dehumanization

Lastly, the dehumanization of forced labor. “The Kapo, as well, tried to console me. He had given me easier work today. I felt sick at heart” (Wiesel, 2006, p. 72). Elie was exhausted, and so much of it got to his head causing him to restrain from doing standard duties. Forced labor stripped individuals of their dignity and humanity, reducing them to mere tools for the oppressors' objectives.

The Impact of Dehumanization on Jewish Communities

The Jews battled with numerous factors of suffering throughout the Holocaust, by fierceness, forced labor, and starvation, yet in many other ways as well. For example, losing their loved ones, being separated by strangers, and reaching a point where life seemed meaningless. While there were numerous contributors to the Jews' suffering, dehumanization was by far and perhaps one of the cruelest things to happen around the globe. The stripping away of humanity left deep psychological scars that lingered long after the physical liberation.

References

Wiesel, E. (2006). Night. Hill and Wang.