Forgetting a historical event can be helpful or detrimental, depending on the situation. In the case of Night, written by Elie Wiesel in 1960, it could be a life-threatening circumstance. Set in the Holocaust, Elie has just been entered into Auschwitz. From there, he faces the harsh reality of the time through physical and emotional trauma. He sees things that he couldn’t imagine possible for a human to do on another. Along his journey, he writes unforgettable details that leave one stunned. In Night, Wiesel’s purpose is to prevent others from forgetting the Holocaust by provoking traumatic emotions through the details of the experiences that both he and his neighbors endured.
Elie’s accounts of seeing children struggle to survive in the camp