Examples Of Dehumanization In Night By Elie Wiesel

The Holocaust is one of the most gruesome, tragic, and cruel events in the history of mankind. The leader of the Nazi regime, known as Hitler, sought to rid the world of Jews. He failed rather than prevailed, but he has left trauma for countless people that will transcend generations. Regardless, this led to the mass murder of millions of Jews and yet resonates today. Elie Wiesel's memoir vividly captures the heinous conduct during this horrid time. Nazis used numerous delusionary methods to promote the dehumanisation of Jews. Elie Wiesel's memoir of his experience at Auschwitz illustrates that the Nazis used delusionary techniques such as segregation and violence to dehumanise Jews, which inevitably contributed to their near extinction.

This happened to be one of the Nazis' brutal delusionary approaches to degrade Jews. Wiesel communicated that the beatings were so severe that he “no longer felt the pain” (Wiesel 35). He also can recall how they had struck his father “with such force that he fell down and then crawled back to his place on all fours” (Wiesel 38). Wiesel reacted by standing "petrified" (Wiesel 38). Demonstrating how traumatising these environments had been. Inserting such graphic material into the minds of every Jew led to an immense amount of fear and trauma.The Nazis had tried to violently suppress anyone to assert their dominance and to prevent anyone from acting out. This is shown when they decided to "hang a child in front of thousands of onlookers"(Wiesel 63). Public beatings had a tremendous impact on the prisoners. When the prisoners watched the public hanging of the child, they began to ask themselves "Where is god"(Wiesel 64). Presenting the public beatings and immense amount of violence created a sense of fear. A Violent environment like this proved to be a potent delusionary tactic causing prisoners to give up on their own lives. Wiesel expresses, "I felt I could touch it. The idea of dying, of ceasing to be, began to fascinate me. To no longer exist. To no longer feel the excruciating pain" (Wiesel 85). Exemplifying how dire his situation had become because of the violent environment he was in. This led to constant thoughts of death for all prisoners and committing acts of suicide which benefited the Nazi's intention of genocide. Public beatings alongside a violent environment caused immense mental trauma among all prisoners. Nearing the end of the novel Wiesel states he belongs to a "traumatised generation" (Wiesel 115). Exemplifying how these delusionary acts of violence had been utilized by Nazis which led to dehumanization and further