In the memoir Night, Elie Wiesel brilliantly illustrates the Nazis’ use of fear as a device to command the prisoners in concentration camps. In addition to exploring the ways in which the Nazis use fear as a tool of power, "Night" also examines the effects of this power dynamic on the Jewish prisoners themselves. Every prisoner was pushed to their mental limits. Fear was overwhelming. Such fear is shown to have caused many inmates to believe individual survival was superior to the condition of their fellow prisoners. From the moment the prisoners were released from the cattle cars, it was understood that obedience is of the utmost importance. Elie is introduced to this environment in a startling way, “Holding flashlights and sticks, they began to strike at us left and right, shouting: ‘Everybody out! Leave everything inside. Hurry up!’”(Wiesel 28). Everyone jumped out of the car immediately. The reaction to such …show more content…
Prisoners, like Elie's father, were harassed for asking simple questions, “Excuse me… could you tell me where the bathrooms are?” The gypsy stared at him for a long time, from head to toe…Then as if waking from a deep sleep, he slapped my father with such force that he fell down” (Wiesel 39). This particular situation is quite peculiar because the gypsy, while head of a tent, was a prisoner as well. Many of the prisoners struggle to maintain their humanity and dignity in the face of such overwhelming fear and oppression. Though some did not let it affect how they treated others, “ At the start of the third week, our Blockälteste was removed; he was judged too humane.” (Wiesel 44). This proves that Nazis wanted the prisoners to feel unsafe, in all contexts. Nazis did not want prisoners to trust each other. If trust formed amongst all the inmates, that could threaten the Nazi’s