Dehumanization In Night By Elie Wiesel

Effects of Dehumanization in Night When the Nazi regime began to sweep across Europe, it was made apparent it was much too late. A similar revelation faced the European Jews, namely those living in Sighet, Hungary in 1944. Among the Jews caught by surprise is Elie Wiesel the author of the memoir Night. Wiesel includes the events of horror, torture, and dehumanization faced by prisoners in the concentration camps they are held in. The inhuman treatment the Jews receive in the various camps changes how far the prisoners go to survive, usually leading them to violence and other vicious actions.

The effect of the dehumanization, and its effect on the people, begins as a mix of skepticism and ignorance. The first acts of the Holocaust to reach

The will to survive had firmly taken its place as the prime objective for most prisoners. Surviving had become more important that morality or murder. During a death march, a prisoner Wiesel had become acquainted with, Zalman, was overcome with stomach pain and paused to relieve himself. This was revealed as a suicidal act, as Zalman was trampled by the flood of running prisoners, “His trousers lowered, he let himself sink down. That is the last picture I have of him. I do not think it can have been the SS who finished him, because no one had noticed. He must have been trampled to death beneath the feet of the thousands of men who followed us” (Wiesel 82). The need to continue running or to be shot, had caused the murder of Zalman. More shocking than an accidental murder, is the abandonment of another family member. During the death march, Rabbi Eliahou had become separated from his son. Wiesel recalls his encounter with the Rabbi, and his son who had purposely abandoned him, “Then I remembered something else: his son had seen him losing ground, limping, staggering back to the rear of the column. He had seen him. And he continued to run in front, letting the distance between them grow greater” (87). Rabbi Eliahou’s son, as many other prisoners had, had valued survival over family during the

All corpses outside!’ The living rejoiced. There would be more room” (Wiesel 94). The prisoners had changed so much that space to move had become a reason to be happy for others dying. The final actions released by the will to live had been murders on the same trains. If eating snow off each other’s backs was not desperate enough, the German workers took it a step further. As the trains would pass, the workers would throw pieces of bread into the cars and enjoy watching the prisoners fight and even kill each other over it, “In the wagon where the bread had fallen, a real battle had broken out. Men threw themselves on top of each other, stamping on each other, tearing at each other, biting each other. Wild beasts of prey, with animal hatred in their eyes; an extraordinary vitality had seized them, sharpening their teeth and nails” (Wiesel 95). The Nazis had truly made animals out of these once proud men. Yet still worse than animals are murderers. While he was only 15 years, Wiesel observes a son kill his father for a piece of bread.

“Meir. Meir, my boy! Don’t you recognize me? I’m your father… you’re hurting me… you’re killing your own father! I’ve got some bread… for you too… for you too…” He collapsed [...] But the other one threw himself upon him and snatched it [the bread]. The old man amid whispering something, let out a rattle, and died amid the general