Comparing The Different Views Of The Holocaust In Night And Life Is Beautiful

Different Views of the Holocaust Portrayed Through Various Literary Elements “Life is a matter of perspective. It can be amazing or wonderful, or it can be depressing and worthless” (Gray, n.d.). This quote from Stephen Gray exemplifies both aspects of life in according to how one perceives it. As a result, some people choose to see life negatively instead of focusing on the positive aspects that make life great. In Elie Wiesel’s (2006) book Night and the movie “Life is Beautiful” (2000), there are two different aspects of how life is viewed while enduring struggling circumstances. Both of the circumstances feature a father and a son who experience life in a Holocaust concentration camp. Even though both situations are similar, the perspective

Father-Son Relationship Although both Night and “Life is Beautiful” are centered around a relationship between a father and son, the dynamic of each relationship alters how the characters perceive the circumstances that surround them. While Guido and Joshua’s relationship is not affected by the Holocaust, Elie and his father’s relationship is strengthened by the Holocaust and are forced to rely on each other for strength. For example, Elie’s father did not care for his children, but when he is separated from all his children except for Elie he starts to show affection towards him: “I didn't know this was the moment in time and the place where I was leaving my mother and Tzipora forever. I kept walking, my father holding my hand” (Wiesel, 2006, p.29). Because of the

After being liberated, both Elie and Joshua recognize specific experiences of God’s provision in the midst of the horrifying experiences of the concentration camp. For example, Joshua recognizes that although it was very childish, his father making the camp into a game protected his innocence and allowed for him to have a positive experience at the concentration camp instead of the experience that the hoi polloi jews were receiving (“Life is Beautiful”, 2000).. Guido made Joshua think that every prisoner was competing for points that were earned by completing various tasks. Each prisoner was competing for a tank, which they would receive if they reached one thousand points. Joshua’s constant competition and the pursuit of the tank kept him oblivious to the harsh realities of Auschwitz. On the other hand, Elie saw God’s provisions in a simpler way, one example being the French girl who showed him kindness at the camp:”I dragged myself to my corner. I was aching all over. I felt a cool hand wiping the blood from my forehead. It was the French girl. She was smiling her mournful smile as she slipped me a crust of bread” (Wiesel, 2006, p.53). This french girl showed Elie kindness, which was very hard to show, in the midst of the grueling conditions of the working camp. The French girl, Elie later learned was a Jew that had false papers and passed as an Aryan. This secret allowed