Before I write my final blog on Elie Wiesel’s Night, I would like to say I really enjoyed the book. When I first found out we were reading a book about the Holocaust I wasn’t too thrilled. Books like this just don’t generally interest me. That being said, I have to say this book was very well written seeing that it kept me reading. This was one of those books that you pick up and truly don’t want to put down. And since all good things must come to an end, I must write about the last section of Night.

     Throughout the book, we had seen Elie and his father’s health deteriorating. Brought about by lack of food, they both had become grossly emaciated. To most, this would be a great burden. But I was struck when Elie said he wished he had lost more weight. The scenario is the prisoners were being moved so to escape attacks. They ran for hours on end through the freezing cold. It’s during this march that Elie thinks, “I was dragging this emaciated body that was still such a weight. If only I could have shed it!” (85). I found this very ironic. To think that he had been suffering starvation for all this time and now he wished he was even skinnier. He is obviously thinking irrationally if he truly wished he was lighter.

     As I’ve said again and again, there is always at least one event per chapter that just horrifies me completely. One came when a father gets beaten for trying to grab a piece of bread that was thrown onto their train and his son goes a grabs the bread when his own father dies. Two men notice the boy going for the bread and the events that unfold are terrifying: “They jumped him. Others joined in. When they withdrew, there were two dead bodies next to me, the father and the son. I was sixteen” (102). Wiesel goes on to reflect that he hopes he never turns on his father like that had. Up until this point, I had forgotten how old Wiesel was, and I’m sure many of you are right there with me. He reminds us that he is only 16 years old and we really start to think about all the events that have unfolded.

     Lastly, I noticed a major change in Wiesel towards the very end of the book. For the first time, he was partially hoping that he wouldn’t be reunited with his father. He was becoming a burden as his health was deteriorating more rapidly. He began to really throw everything out of the way that wouldn’t aid his survival. This fits in with one of the survival traits we talked about the other day in class, detachment. He thinks to himself, “If only I didn’t find him! If only I were relieved of this responsibility, I could use all my strength to fight for my own survival, to take care only of myself… Instantly, I felt ashamed, ashamed of myself forever” (106). This experience had changed Wiesel. It may have strengthened him, but at the cost of love for his family. Separating oneself from friends and family is difficult but in a situation such as this one, it must be done in order to survive.

What struck me most about the book during and after the death march was the relationship between father and son.  It seems as if they only live for each other and their family member is the only reason they persevere.  Elie says, “My father was running next to me, out of breath, out of strength, desperate.  I had no right to let myself die.  What would he do without me? I was his sole support.” (86-87)  This relationship makes me think of my own family, and what I would do in a situation like this.  I care for all of them, but at the same time, you have to take care of yourself because when natural instincts take over, they are hard to ignore.  

Elie finds himself conflicted with this at multiple times.  Sometimes he would show selflessness and bring his father water or extra soup and bread, food that he could have saved for himself.  But when Elie’s dad was being beaten for his food by his neighbors, Elie did not move in fear of getting hurt himself.  This conflict is also present when Wiesel sees an old man being beaten by his son over bread, this is extremely saddening to me because the father, who was hiding bread to give to his son is actually killed by his own child because he became so desperate for food.  Not only does this sadden me, but it angers me because I do not understand how someone could kill their own father over bread.  Bread.  But at the concentration camps, it seems as if it is just everyone for themselves.  As the Blockalteste said, “Don’t forget that you are in a concentration camp.  In this place, it is every man for himself, and you cannot think of others.  Not even your father.  In this place, there is no such thing as father, brother friend.  Each of us lives and dies alone.” (110)  I hate to admit it, but I do agree with this quote... Sometimes you have to be selfish, in order to survive, but there are limits on selfishness.  Killing one’s family member over a few crumbs of bread is pathetic, there is no excuse for that kind of inhumanity, even in times of desperation.  Being selfish led to the deaths of both father and son.  I do believe, the key to Elie’s survival was his ability to detach himself from the tragedies around him.

When Elie’s dad died, he showed almost no emotion whatsoever.  He said, “I spent my days in total idleness.  With only one desire: to eat, I no longer thought of my father, or my mother.  From time to time I would dream.  But only about soup, an extra ration of soup.” (113)  He was completely focused on his own survival and barely thought about the death of his father or where his mother and sisters were.  This kind of numbness allowed him to persevere through difficult times and survive.  

     This section of the book was a very sad and depressing part of the book.  It really showed how these Jewish people were tortured so bad even the reader can feel their pain and misery.  I  finally really felt exactly the same as Wiesel emotionless, and seeming as if all hope is gone.  This next line can show how hard some of the people in this terrible situation will try to help their family but yet there is no point, "Next to me, someone was trying to awaken his neighbor, his brother, perhaps or his comrade. In vain. Defeated." (89).  Putting myself in that situation with my brother or a best friend, I don't know how I would say goodbye.  In this tragedy that is happening, not just this part but the whole Holocaust, I honestly don't believe that I could have made it with the best of luck. The reason why is I don't know if I would have the guts to stick it out, but who knows if I was put their my thought process on the whole thing may change and I might be able to make it only with good luck.

     What I also enjoyed of this part of the book and just about the Jews in this march was how even though they have to run a long distance, when they hear its only a few hours left, they aren't giving up.  "Nobody wanted to give up now, just before the end, so close to our destination." (92). This is courage and determination!  Even in the roughest of times these guys wouldn't quit, and if the SS officers could give them credit for one thing it should be their heart to continue in order to live.

     Finally the last part of this book that had had me reading and reading to see what happens was when they made it to their destination and they all began laying down.  Wiesel had found it friend Juliek the violinist while suffocating him by accident because other people where laying on top of him. Elie said "I could not answer him. Someone had lain down on top of me, smothering me. I couldn't breathe through my mouth or my nose. Sweat was running down my forehead and my back. This was it.; the end of the road. A silent death, suffocation. No way to scream to call for help." (94). To me this is a very scary way to die, no way to breathe and you just stay their struggling but nothing can be done.  This is similar to drowning, as if you were chained to the bottom of a pool and their is no way to get out taking in water. Imagine the struggle, the fight back saying "I don't want to go!" when in reality you can't get out. I felt that the death of Juliek was the best way for him to have gone. When Wiesel heard him playing "He was playing his life. His whole being was gliding over the strings. His unfulfilled hope. His charred past, his extinguished future. He played that which he would never play again." (95). What I liked about him was that even in the worst possible pace on earth, he still did what he loved to do, and he played his heart out until the very last breathe that he took.

As I read this last section of the book, I found with surprise that I was almost as numb as Wiesel himself. Reading phrases that should be shocking and disturbing, I was almost as indifferent and emotionless as him. I think it's because I've become so used to his detachment- at this point, he's so weak that he doesn't let his emotions get in the way of his only goal- to survive. Because of this, he's able to confront the piles of dead people with indifference, even though some of them could have been his neighbors, teachers, or peers. He says, "We started to march once more. The dead remained in the yard, under the snow without even a marker, like fallen guards. No one recited Kaddish over them. Sons abandoned the remains of their fathers without a tear." (92) The Nazis got exactly what they wanted, just short of exterminating the Jewish people- they've completely dehumanized them. Even stronger than appearances and qualities, I'd say emotions are the greatest driving point of our humanity- love, anger, jealousy. If we can't feel anything, we're nothing. So even when the Jews lose their names, personalities, appearances, they're still human. But it's when they become completely numb that that sense of any kind of humanity is gone.
When Wiesel was stuck under the pile of dead people, in danger of suffocation, I couldn't help but cringe. He says, "Someone had lain down on top of me, smothering me. I couldn't breathe through my mouth or my nose. Sweat was running down my forehead and my back. This was it; the end of the road. A silent death, suffocation. No way to scream, to call for help." (94) Suffocation is one of my biggest fears, in my opinion one of the worst ways to die. When I see people drown in movies, I can't help imagining- how long were they struggling for? How long did it take them to stop trying to breathe? It's so disturbing to me. I was glad that Wiesel was able to escape the pile, physically clawing out of a pile of dead people. It's just yet another example of how animalistic the prisoners have become.
Being so attached to music, the section with Juliek and his violin struck a chord with me. Yes, I realize that this was a trivial thing compared to his father's death, but for some reason, the description of Juliek playing his heart out before he died and dying next to his violin stuck with me more than Wiesel's father's death did. Wiesel remembers, "All I could hear was the violin, and it was as if Juliek's soul had become his bow. He was playing his life. His whole being was gliding over the strings. His unfulfilled hopes. His charred past, his extinguished future. He played that which he would never play again." (95) I've definitely had days when I sat and played guitar and sang for hours, as if I would never do so again. It's an indescribable feeling, where nothing else matters but the music and you don't have to think about anything else. It's nearly tangible how much Juliek felt his music. I think that's what separates the amazing music from the mediocre- it's easy to tell when people are actually passionate about what they're singing/playing. It's just so powerful, how Juliek's violin was so important to him, as if his soul was threaded through its strings.

       What struck me most about the middle section of the book is the constant examples of inhumanity that can be found on almost every page.  I constantly find myself cringing in disgust and horror as I read, but at the same time, I am not able to put  the book down.  I was disgusted with the dehumanization that takes place at the concentration camps.  Wiesel didn’t even have a name anymore, he simply replied to the number assigned to him. When the black secretary says, “A-7713?” Elie replies, “That’s me.” (51) The Jewish people in the camps were striped of their identities which defines who they are.  When Elie responds to the number “A-7713”, it is almost as if he is admitting defeat and giving up hope, which frustrates me.  He has been strong for so long and for him to give up now is disheartening.

The Jewish people in the concentration camps were not only mentally abused by being dehumanized, but they were also physically beaten if they disobeyed.  When Wiesel saw Idek with the young Polish girl, he was whipped twenty five times in front of everyone for what he saw.  Although, not everyone receiving punishment was as fortunate as Wiesel, most of them were hanged.  Even a young boy was hung along with two adults in the presence of all the other men.  Unfortunately, the executioner did not take into account the weight difference the little boy had compared to other grown men, therefore, he suffered.  Wiesel says, “He remained for more than half an hour, lingering between life and death, writhing before our eyes.  And we were forced to look at him at close range.  He was still alive when I passed him. His tongue was still red, his eyes not yet extinguished.” (65) I cannot believe that a young boy would be hung and forced to suffer.  When a child is killed, it triggers feelings of anger, sadness, and disgust in whoever bears witness, it is horrifically tragic.

On top of all the torture and killing, physical pain was constantly inflicted on the prisoners.  Whenever someone had a gold crown, it would be ripped from their mouths: “The dentist from Warsaw pulled my crown out with the help of a rusty spoon.” (56) Ouch! I cannot even imagine the pain someone would feel when having a tooth ripped from their mouth without novocaine or proper tools.  Even nowadays these types of procedures are still painful with the aid of proper medication and equipment.  The way the people in the concentration camps were treated cause me to cringe, and now I wonder what the breaking point for these men is.  How far can they be pushed until they can no longer take anymore and either slip away into death, or bring death upon themselves?  

     When reading this section of the book I began to think of how such people could endure such punishments for things they had not done wrong. For example Idek chill the hell out man god you have a problem.  "He threw himself on me like a wild beast, beating me in the chest, on my head, throwing me to the ground and picking me up again, crushing me with ever more violent blows, until I was covered in blood." (53). Okay Idek you have issues. There was also an incident when Wiesel has a golden crown, and he doesn't want to give up the crown along with his fathers guidance. The Franek, to get what he wants kicks the crap out of Wiesel's father until he says yes. But on top of that Elie has to pay one of his bread crusts for Franek to pay the doctor to get the crown out? What kind of sick man is he? Also when the dentist comes, "That evening, in the latrines, the dentist from Warsaw pulled my crown with the help of a rusty spoon." (56). That is one of the nastiest things I have ever heard in my life.  The pain endured when having that operation with the right tools is more than enough, but when bringing in a rusty spoon to do the job? Come on that's crazy.
     Upon the death's of a few men at the camp, and also the terrible things he has seen, to me I think that Wiesel is beginning to get used to the way of life in the camp. He does not get as shocked as he once had been, and is this a good thing? Has he lost all of his personal feelings or his personality? "A-7713?, after your meal you will go to the dentist." (51). A-7713? Who the hell is A-7713? Now when in the camps you lose all of your traits that make yourself you. So now is everyone in the camp basically the same?

The main topic that struck me from this section of Night was Wiesel’s confliction with his religion. I was glad that Wiesel made sure to mention in the beginning of the story how dedicated to his religion he had been- it made his anger with God that much more tragic. He studied the Talmud and Kabbalah, and was completely devoted to his Jewish faith. But after suffering weeks in the concentration camp, he begins having doubts. The day before Rosh Hashanah, the last day of the year, the prisoners gather to pray. Here, Wiesel realizes that their devotion is useless, that this being they are devoutly worshipping has done nothing for them:

“What are You, my God? I thought angrily. How do You compare to this stricken mass gathered to affirm to You their faith, their anger, their defiance? What does Your grandeur mean, Master of the Universe, in the face of all this cowardice, this decay, and this misery? Why do you go on troubling these poor people’s wounded minds, their ailing bodies?” (66)

            If you think about it, it’s a completely reasonable question- what was He thinking? If He really controls the Universe, what was the purpose of making so many people suffer and die, especially people that were devoted and faithful to Him?! Was He proud, watching over all of the weakened prisoners still praying to him even in the worst of conditions? It’s a difficult thing, questioning God. Perhaps it’s the most difficult, because you’ll never, by any means, get an answer. Getting lost in thoughts like that is dizzying, because they can go on and on, and eventually you can begin to question everything. But it’s completely understandable why Wiesel would begin to have doubts and anger. He says,

“Blessed be God’s name? Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled. Because He caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves?... Because in His great might, He had created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, and so many other factories of death?” (67)

It’s sad to see Wiesel lose his faith, but it’s even more final to hear a rabbi say, “It’s over. God is no longer with us.” (76) A rabbi, who is supposed to be devoted to gathering others in support of God. It really shows how drastically hopeless their situation was. And it makes you wonder- was God with them? Because quite frankly, it doesn’t seem like it.