Night is a tragic story of the life of Elie Wiesel during the Holocaust. He writes about his first hand experiences of what happened during this time. He wrote about being separated from his family and not knowing what life would be for him in the future. They had no food, very little clothing, were mistreated by the Germans and had to learn how to react to different situations or how not to. Most people today wouldn’t be able to endure the hardships that he encountered. This story reveals Elie Wiesel’s will to live during these times.

Peaceful is the one word that describes Sighet, Transylvania in 1943. This is a time when the Nazi’s came and took the non-Hungarians which should have sent a message to the Jews that they would be taken next. Moshe the Beadle, a non-Hungarian escaped from the Nazi’s and tried to tell the Jews they were next to be taken. The Jews should have left the town as soon as possible, but they didn’t believe him.

All they had to do was just leave, just in case he was telling the truth. When they did come to get them, it was just horrible. They were made to leave all their belongings and loaded in a train car. These train cars were loaded with 80 people for hours. They were sitting on each other, laying on each other, thirsty and hungry. I can’t imagine what everyone was thinking. They didn’t know where they were going or how long they had to be in these train cars. I would have been very worried. They were probably all dehydrated and hungry by the time they arrived in Birkenau.

Once reaching Birkenau it would have been frightening to see the flames gushing out of a chimney and smell human flesh being burnt at the place they were being taken. I would have thought we all are going to be burnt. Seeing the dead bodies would mess with me so much that I would go crazy. How they stood it, I don’t know. During their stay there, Elie was split from his mother and sister.

At least he still had his father and during the story you can tell, he was worried about being separated from him. After all of this, then there is the “selection”. This is a process where the Germans come in and select certain ones to go to the crematory. I would have been scared to have been chosen. After surviving three days of this, there’s another “selection” . I would be so strung out until I would want to die.

They were so mistreated, given small amounts of bread to eat, having to undress in front of the SS Officers. It would have been so humiliating. After all of this, they were put on more train cars and sent to other camps. Finally they come to a camp that is less harsh and demanding on them, Auschwitz. They are given food. Elie is in such shock that he can’t even eat. There they go through the routine of meals, roll call and bed for a few weeks. They are told they will be leaving for another camp. I would have been heart broken to transfer after being in such a good camp. They were being treated fairly well. They were eating, sleeping and now, where are they going next. They reach a camp called Buna. There, Elie and his father get jobs in a musicians block.

During this time Elie makes a friend named Juliet. Elie and his father also meet Yazi and Tibi, the Czech brothers. I would be happy just to have a friend to talk to again. During this time Elie sees a Kapo named Idek making out with a Polish girl and is punished with 25 public lashes. Imagine laying on a box and literally getting beaten to death. I don’t know what I would be thinking at this time. I think I would just want this to all be over and go home. Then there’s an air raid and the Jews are put in lock down. I would hope that the Russians would bomb the camp and kill the Kapo men.

Then many hangings started taking place during roll call and the men had to walk by them and look at the dead men in the eye. There’s no way I could do that because it would freak me out. After one certain hanging, they started wondering where God was? They were losing their faith in the one and only person that would be their savior. I can understand their feelings, but I believe that God is always with us, no matter what we are going through. I don’t know if I was in that situation if I would still have my faith or not. Then there is another selection. Elie’s father talked the SS officers into letting him stay. Elie was probably outraged when his father was talking to them.

Elie’s foot swells up from the cold weather and he has to have surgery. After the surgery he meets a man who tells him to get out before they have another selection. That was good advise for Elie. Then the Jews must evacuate and run 42 miles to another camp. I would have died right there. If you fell behind while running, you were shot. I don’t understand how they could just shoot someone because they couldn’t keep up. After all, they weren’t in the best of shape and didn’t have the best of nutrition. Finally they reached Gleiwitz. They have another selection.

They were piled into cattle wagons. Officers threw bread in the wagons and the Jews would kill for a piece of it. They were piled on other people. It’s hard for me to imagine how this was, piled on top of each other and fighting over a piece of bread. Once reaching Budenwald Elie’s father can’t walk anymore. Elie tries to nurse his father back to health. He was very brave to try and do that because I’m sure his life was in danger also. Then Elie’s father was taken to the crematory. Eli was sent to the children’s block. I’m sure Elie’s father was killed. I would have cried and cried. That was the only person he had left. On April 11, 1944, liberation occurred and an American tank entered the camp. Elie was brave and strong enough to make it through this horrible time and through the loss of his family.

I loved this book because it showed how good life is for us now and how much we should appreciate it. I don’t think any human should be mistreated, starved, beaten or killed by any other human because we are all the same in God’s eyes. I think Elie Wiesel titled this book “Night” because it reveals how dark, inhumane and horrible this time was. I think in reading this book, everyone would get something a little different out of it.

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