Analysis Of Elie Wiesel's Speech Perils Of Indifference

Elie Wiesel has been through much more than any person should ever have to go through, he has witnessed unspeakable things that have happened to others, and he has lived through it all to tell the stories. He has written so many books, and made so many speeches, but perhaps two of his most famous writings were the book Night and his speech Perils Of Indifference. His book was published in 1956, and his speech was given on April 12, 1999. Both his speech, and his book talk about the horrors of the holocaust, and how it affected him. However, in the speech he reflects upon his tribulations in the camps, and what he thinks about moving forward. While the book is more of a story, and provides much more detail of the horrible things that he lived

On page 44 of Night, Elie says that he lied and told his relative, Stein that he heard his family was fine. Although he had never heard from them. Stein proceeded to rejoice and tell them that his family is the only thing he is living for. In Perils of Indifference, Elie says: “not to relive their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory.” I believe that he was referring to this specific section of Night when he said this. He valued Stein's happiness over his truthfulness. His message in this is that sometimes it’s better to lie for another person's safety and health. However he also says some things in his speech that contrast what he says in the book. For example on page 67, he is mocking people for still holding onto the one thing the had left to turn to, God. He says: “ Blessed be God’s name? Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled.” He was mad at God for not helping. But in his speech he says: “Man can live far from God -- not outside God. God is wherever we are. Even in suffering? Even in suffering.” Even in suffering, he said. He eventually returned to his faith, even though he never thought he would be able to do