Does one’s identity change after experiencing traumatic events? In the memoir, Night by Elie Weisel, he goes through stages of deep change in which he hardly recognizes himself after witnessing the horrendous events of the concentration camps in Germany. He shows this through the use of internal and external conflict and characterization, Wiesel develops the theme that your past and present experiences can shape your identity because trauma can be a catalyst for growth. To begin with, Weisel starts off by developing the theme using internal conflict introducing the protagonist Elie, he would be described as dedicated, a strong believer in his religion and faith, and someone who would stand up for what he believed in. Weisel starts by talking …show more content…
Elie’s living conditions were awful, he suffered through poverty, dirty clothes, no sleep, and no food. The setting is described as “Comrades, you are now in the concentration camp Auschwitz. Ahead of you lies a long road paved with suffering…” (41). Everything about the concentration camp was dangerous, Elie having to live and work in these conditions was determined by not only him but others around him. If the living conditions weren’t already the worst part of everything, Elie had to also deal with the harsh treatment from the S.S officers. Elies mind went blank as he was given his punishment, “ no longer felt anything except the lashes of the whip. " O n e ! ... T w o ! ... " he was counting” (57). As well as on page 85, it shows how rude these officers treated everyone saying, “"Faster, you tramps, you flea-ridden dogs!"... “Faster, you filthy dogs!” (85). Which explains how Elie was mistreated both verbally and physically and he could do nothing about this. The external conflict Elie experienced within the concentration changed him forever as a person, having to remember the feeling of mistreatment from humans and the feeling of betrayal from his own kind. As well as remembering the experience of aching for food and some …show more content…
In the beginning of the memoir, it introduces Elie as a boy who stood up for what he thought was wrong and someone who would dedicate their time to something he believed in, but soon after he lost all of his beliefs. He let himself get walked over, not only himself but his family too. Although he lived for his family he slowly realized that his father was nothing but a burden to him. This change was something that affected him because he knew it wasn’t right and he couldn’t find it within himself to cry for his loss or for what was happening. Elie letting go of his father made him lose a part of himself as well. Once everything was over with and Elie took a look in the mirror he realized how much he changed physically. This physical change also meant a change internally because Elie described it as, “From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me. The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me” (115). This signifies that Elie was referring to a sort of ego death. Losing himself completely just to survive, but seeing his reflection was also subjected to making him feel this ego death because his physical appearance no longer felt like himself. Elie has this disconnect with his inner being and physical
Over the course of the book, Elie changes from a happy boy to being depressed. This is important to the book as a whole because it connects to the internal conflict. The change is apparent when he gets moved to a concentration camp, when he’s separated from his family, and when his father dies. “We sensed that
Besides physical torture, Jews were forced to watch the horrific deaths of their fellow prisoners. The abuse they witnessed and received damaged the prisoners mentally. Only the strongest and mentally determined prisoners could survive through the concentration camps. During the first weeks of Elie’s experience at Auschwitz, he describes being picked for their jobs by saying, “… the Kapos appeared. Each one began to choose the men he liked: ‘You… you… you…’
Elie was left with his father after being cut off from his mother and sisters. Because of the circumstances in the camp, his father's health deteriorated, and despite Elie's best efforts to take care of him, there was only so much he could do. Elie has been heartbroken about his father's slow, agonizing death throughout the entire novel. This shows how traumatized Elie was he had no time to morne the loss of his father that is real dehumanization.
Elie says,” One day when I was able to get up, I decided to look at myslef in the mirror on the opposite wall. I have not seen myself since the ghetto. From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me. THe look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me. Elie’s identiy died becasue he could no longer recognize the person that he used to be before the time of the concentration
During the trauma of the concentration camps, Elie changes physically, spiritually, and emotionally. During Elie’s imprisonment by the Nazis, he undergoes a physical transformation. As the Nazis forced them to march Elie wrote, “I had no strength left. The journey had just begun and I already felt weak…”(Wiesel 19).
A true story, in a first hand account of the horrors of the Holocaust. He wasn’t alone in this journey, his father was there every step of the way. This wasn’t necessarily a good thing, because as Elie was harassed, so was his father. Elie thinks to himself in the novel, the last thing you want to see is your father suffering. Day by day, both of them grew weaker.
Humans change throughout their life both physically and mentally. Some as they age, but also as they experience life-altering events. Elie Wiesel, author, and protagonist of his memoir, Night, had to experience the horrors of the Holocaust personally. This led him to modify his life in many aspects. Elie Wiesel changes throughout the story by losing his innocence, faith, and overall emotional standpoint.
Elie begins to think about what would happen if his father died. He realizes that if he no longer had to look after his father he could focus more on his own survival. Afterward he instantly, “felt ashamed, ashamed of myself forever” (Wiesel 106). In the following days, his father's health deteriorated further. Elie describes his state by using soul-crushing imagery, comparing him to a, “wounded animal” (Wiesel 106).
Lorelei, Bryant World Literature Mrs Sultan 3/24/23 Identity Change Guilt and dehumanizing action inflicted upon Elie affect his identity throughout the story, and cause what could be known as an identity crisis that is amplified due to relationships. The Story “Night” by Elie Wiesel is a biography that describes his living situation as a jewish kid in the holocaust. The story shows how the inmates were physically and mentally tortured throughout their time in the concentration camps. These events scarred many of the inmates there, and led to a loss of their own identity that they were never able to recover from. Identity is personal to each and everyone of us and is subjected to change making it an important part of ourselves.
Furthermore, being in the concentration camp without his father was more difficult for Elie than being dead. “As for me, I was thinking not about death but about not wanting to be separated from my father (82)”. Elie had been through so much with his father so they couldn't betray each other now. Staying together after felt more essential than survival. However, towards the end of the memoir, Elie was ready to let go of providing for his father.
In this book Elie speaks of his hardships and how he survived the concentration camps. Elie quickly changed into a sorrowful person, but despite that he was determined to stay alive no matter the cost. For instance, during the death
First of all , at the beginning of the novel Elie communicates
One reoccurring theme that is present in the Holocaust is a change of identity with everyone involved. The incidents people confronted, especially the Jews, during this harsh time was life changing and traumatic. The identity of many in the concentration camps changed; young and innocent children developed into mature men. Elie Wiesel in the novella, Night, faces a change of identity within himself and the surrounding people, the Jews, through a variety of events that he encounters.
Never shall [he] forget those things, even were [he] condemned to live as long as God Himself” (Wiesel 75). This quote leads me to believe that the suffering endured in the camps lead Elie to become lost with who he was. Elie and the other members of the Jewish community try to keep their faith as much as they can even though it is being tested. As shown in Night enduring suffering forces people to become much different versions of themselves.
Elie was held captive in concentration camps from 1944-1945. During his time in the concentration camps, he became grateful for what he had, overcame countless obstacles, and more importantly kept fighting until he was free. [The Holocaust is very important to learn about because it can teach you some important life lessons.] You should always be grateful for what you have, no matter what the circumstances are. This lesson can be learned when Elie says, “After my father’s death, nothing could touch me any more”(109).