Elie Wiesel Writing Style Analysis

Miles Clark

English 10b

Mr Deines

Jan 17th 2023

Analyzing the writing style of Elie Wiesel From 1941-1945 over 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust. The

Holocaust was the unjust persecution of Jews by the Nazi party. Many Jews were placed into concentration camps, which were either camps where they were forced to work excessive amounts or camps where they were unfairly killed. The prisoners of these concentration camps were often given very little food, water and other necessities. The biggest concentration camp was Auschwitz, where over 1.1 million people lost their lives. Elie Wiesel, the author of the book Night, was a Holocaust survivor himself. Elie Wiesel was captured and taken to many concentration camps when he was

The short sentences are able to quickly reflect the mood or feeling of the situations Elie is in. For example Wiesel writes “I did not fast” which seems like an insignificant sentence but it is actually very important. This quote is referring to the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, where every Jew is supposed to fast. Elie does not choose to do this as an act of defiance against God. This shows that Elie is losing his faith in God which makes this quote emotionally impactful. Another example of an impactful short sentence is when Elie and his father were in the shed during their march from Buna. Wiesel writes “Then he smiled”. This quote is very impactful because it shows that Elie and his father only need each other to be content even in the most dire situations. This quote also gives the situation a bittersweet mood because it is a good moment but Elie and his father are still in grave danger. Wiesel uses many more short sentences throughout the entirety of Night that help set the sad mood of the

Similes and metaphors are able to easily describe whatever situation Elie is in. When Elie was being moved out of his home town of Sighet, Wiesel makes use of similes and metaphors.Wiesel writes “By eight o'clock in the morning, weariness had settled into our veins, our limbs, our brains, like molten lead.”. This quote shows how weak and tired Elie and other Jews were. This simile also makes this particular situation very sad because it is describing how poorly the Jews were being treated. Another time where similes and metaphors are used is when Elie is talking to his friend Moishe the Beadle. Wiesel writes “‘They think I’m mad,’he whispered, and tears, like drops of wax, flowed from his eyes.” This comparison gives the situation a very somber tone. Moishe the Beadle is distraught because nobody will believe his story about the Gestapo. Overall the use of similes and metaphors help quickly impact the reader while also helping the reader better understand the