Night Essay, Research Paper
Night
4/30/00
Chapter 1
Elie describes the events that are occurring around him and his profession. The Jews from the town of Sighet are relocated (against there will) to the Jewish ghettos. Elie had to leave all of his belongings and possessions behind. They were transported from their desired residence to the ghettos by cattle trains.
Elie must have felt helpless, sad, and angry that everything that he and his family had worked for was being taken away. He as well felt this way because he could not do anything about it and/or to prevent it. He had the mature feelings even though unlike many other children he was not separated from his family helping him deal with what was going on around him better.
Chapter 2
Elie and his family were moved to an internment camp by the name of Berkenau. The prisoners were kept in the dark about their final destination (an concentration camp). The family as well was not aware of ware they were going. On the cattle, cars the conditions were unbearable. There were such a number of people on these train cars that the individuals inside had to take turns who were standing and who were sitting. The individuals including Elie?s family were trapped in these conditions for several days without the assistance of food or water. There was a woman on the train named Madame Schachter who kept ranting and raving about a fire the entire trip.
Elie must have felt helpless and cramped. He along with the others must have been angry and probably took it out on each other. They as well had time to try to compute what ha happened to them. Many were looking forward to a change since they believed nothing could be worse than the ghettos they had been dwelling until this point.
Chapter 3
Elie and his family arrive the most destructive of all concentration camps Auschwitz. This camp was responsible for roughly 1.5 million deaths. Here the systematic killing (eradication) of Jews, Gypsies, and Homosexuals was honed to a finite science. Here Elie and his father were separated from his mother and sister. Elie and his father were supposed to die in a flame pit but a minute before it was there turn to die they were ordered to return to the barracks.
This event and many others like it would change your way of looking at the world and thinking almost enlightened. For a person of such young age it must have been tremendously hard to try to understand to events around him and clearly understand it. Many adults at that point in time and today still find it hard to kill so many.
Chapter 4
Elie arrived in Buria his father and him had to work in an electrical warehouse sorting, counting, and doing remedial labor. Elie lost the gold crown in his jaw to the dentist and lost his shoes. However, life was hard and he felt like he was always being punished. He still lifted his head high.
Elie must have felt very bad that he had seen all that he had seen and now the Nazis took his gold crown. He must have felt that life was truly over and still did not give up hope and did not give in and stayed proud.
Chapter 5
While in Buria Elie and his father had to take a test and whoever fail the examination would be put to death. Both Elie and his father passed the test. Elie, even after taking the test was moved to another camp. Here Elie moved large stones (remedial labor). On the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur instead of celebrating they had to be evacuated and were forced to march to there next destination. Elie had to walk as well on his bad foot, which was filled with puss probably induced by an infection an example of the kind of medical care given to prisoners.
Elie must have thought that it could not get any worse than he already was. He must have also felt a little joy to know that the Russians were attacking. He must have as well thought why God would let this happen and when could such a catastrophe en
Chapter 6
The evacuation began and the Prisoners had to now run 40 miles straight without stopping and if they did not comply and/or unable to do so they will be executed. The group of prisoners that as well contained Elie was going to the same prison (Gileiwitz) where Elie?s father was being held. The state of deterioration of Elie?s father was very evident, he was very weak. They both (Elie and his father) now had to face the cold in the middle of winter.
Elie must of at this point given up on life and thought once or twice about letting himself die instead of bearing anymore pain. This may as well been the hardest part of the ordeal because now a family member one the only one he has been able to have contact with the entire time in withering away in front of him and he cannot do anything about it.
Chapter 7
Elie along with his father and other prisoners were forced to load into cattle cars about 100 to a car once again. During this ten-day and ten night trip they were given little food and water. The train would stop every once in a while to drop the dead off that had occurred from the horrendous transportation conditions. The train was bound and arrived ten days after departure at Buchenwald.
Elie was traumatized by all that he had seen and such things as a son betraying his father for a piece (social deterioration).
This will leave an indelible scar on his life and he will never fully recover.
Chapter 8
When the train had arrived in Buchenwald His father was detrimentally ill with dysentery. The doctors did not did not even help him and he was sent to the crematory alive. The weak and the dead had no line between them and they were all disposed of in the same manner. Elie felt as if his father should have had a proper burial and did not.
Elie must have felt that there was no one left to help him strive to stay alive. There was no one left to give any type of positive reinforcement and no real reason to stay alive.
Chapter 9
On April 11 the SS soldiers fled and because the Americans arrived. When the Americans arrived, Elies residence was now Buchenwald. With the Americans came substantial amounts of food and Elie almost died of food poisoning. He was sent to a hospital to recover from the food poisoning and during his recuperation he looked in a mirror and he looked very different than before the Holocaust. At this point in his life, he realizes that he has changed and the old Elie will never return he is a different person than the Elie that was a resident in the Ghettos.
Elie must have had mixed emotions one he lived and that is great but his family and all these others died. He must have felt why did he live and they did not and an almost partial responsibility. As well, he must have realized that he is an adult now and there is no one out there to take care of him left.
Bibliography
All the information given was from the book night and mmy mind