Night
Reading an autobiographical portrait of the Holocaust is an eye-opening experience. Few today can comprehend the terror and brutality of that time, but Night provides a glimpse into the physical and emotional turmoil it caused.
Throughout, the reader watches as a naive young man transforms into a cynical adult, kept alive only by hope and loyalty to his father. The Nazis don’t just separate him from his mother and sisters, they also steal his faith and innocence.
Wiesel is horrified to find himself growing calloused to what matters most to him, and starts to question his belief in a God who can watch people be tortured and slaughtered. He observes the devolvement of man into beast when compassion is rare and death is imminent.
There is no denying that Night is shocking and depressing, yet sheer morbid fascination kept me intrigued to the last page. Nothing can prepare the reader for the amount of emotion within Wiesel’s narrative. One might read Night simply to realize the atrocities of these concentration camps, but the true content of the story lies within Elie’s reactions to these events. Simply put, this is a must-read for anyone interested in the Holocaust.
|
