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Human Spirit In Night By Elie Wiesel

855 Words4 Pages

Since 1945, many victims of the Holocaust have documented their horrific experiences. Some recorded their experiences solely to stay sane, but most survivors feared that the world would forget the atrocities of the Second World War. Since the late 1940s, thousands of different Holocaust memoirs have been published. Undoubtedly, what binds most of these authors is the fact that they have all faced severe loss, questioned the existence of God, and felt the desperate need for hope. Their awareness, understanding and judgement were also severely put to the test. According to Canadian philosopher Bernard Lonergan, these three mental abilities define the human spirit. Thus, the Nazis brutally challenged the very humanity of the Holocaust writers. …show more content…

Even under inhumane physical and mental torture from the ruthless Nazis, many Jews mentioned in the memoir were still able to keep their humanity. For example, the Jewish French girl, posing as an Aryan, feels sympathy when Elie is beaten by the Kapo in Buna: “I felt a cool hand wiping the blood from my forehead…[The French girl] was smiling her mournful smile as she slipped me a crust of bread.” (Wiesel 53) Even though the French girl was risking her life by speaking to Elie in German, she overcame that fear because her human instinct was to help him. Another example of an indestructible human spirit is that of Akiba Drumer, who never lost faith in God – not even after seeing babies thrown into a furnace: “God is testing us. He wants to see whether we are capable of overcoming our base instincts...We have no right to despair. And if He punishes us mercilessly, it is a sign that He loves us that much more…” (Wiesel 45) Akiba Drumer’s unshakable faith in God undoubtedly shows the toughness of the human spirit. Lastly, Elie Wiesel himself shows an incredibly strong human spirit. Elie never stopped fighting for his life, he never abandoned his father – no matter what the burden – and he never gave up. After the war, Elie was still able to feel joy, he was still able to love, he was still able to emerge with his faith intact, and he was still able to continue living: “We have transcended everything – death, fatigue, our natural needs. We were stronger than cold and hunger, stronger than the guns and the desire to die…we were the only men on earth.” (Wiesel 87) Finally, Elie was able to face his memories again by writing the memoir. Like Anne Frank, he demonstrates his mental and psychological strength by doing so. In short, numerous individuals from Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night prove that Holocaust literature is evidence of the resilience of the human

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