Examples Of Trauma In Night By Elie Wiesel

The Holocaust was one of history's most heinous events, and the resulting trauma caused irreversible psychological damage to its victims. Eliezer's life was turned upside down when he and his family were taken to concentration camps by force. Throughout his time there, no matter how hard he tried, he was not able to escape the effects of trauma. Eliezer was aware of what was happening to him, as he observed the other Jewish people in the camp turn into a completely different person. However, his efforts to remain hopeful and to maintain his rationality were in vain. Night by Elie Wiesel perfectly captures the psychological effects of suffering. The novel describes how Eleizer was slowly devoured by the dark, inescapable cycle of trauma. Through

In the book, Elie Wiesel uses metaphors to show the drastic psychological changes the protagonist was experiencing. Eliezer is a good son to his father who always makes sure to take care of him and look out for him even during the toughest times. It is clear how much he values his father as he is the only family he has left. For example, when they were being forced to march in the snow to a different camp, Eleizer saw an old man left behind by his own son. At the time, Eliezer prayed to God to “give [him] the strength never to do what Rabbi Eliahu’s son has done” (Wiesel 91). He didn’t ever want to leave his father behind, no matter the situation. This was his nature, to always be there for a loved one and to never be selfish. However, Eliezer’s attitude and nature changes over time. After the march, Eliezer’s father fell ill and could not do much on his own, so he needed Eliezer’s help all the time. Although Eliezer had wanted to take care of his father, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking “If only [he] were relieved of this responsibility, [he] could use all [his] strength to fight for [his] own survival” (Wiesel 106). Even though Eliezer had a strong will to be with his father at all costs, he could not keep those selfish thoughts from frequenting his mind. Even the strongest can be broken down from this kind of trauma. No matter how hard Eliezer

These beliefs have always been a part of Eliezer’s life and he has shown to have great interest in them in the beginning. He had asked his father to “guide [him] in the studies of Kabbalah”, but his father refused him saying that he was too young. However, Eliezer was so interested in it that he found “a master for [him]self in the person of Moishe the Beadle” (Wiesel 4). He had found his own values through his new mentor. Eliezer continued to indulge in these spiritual beliefs until the concentration camps became a part of his life. Throughout the book, Eliezer refers to these beliefs, but they have somewhat changed. As he goes through the torture of the camps, the way Eliezer considered his spiritual beliefs had changed. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, all the Jewish prisoners had gathered to pray. During the prayer, Eliezer could only think that “[God] caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves” and how he had “created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, and so many other factories of death” (Wiesel 67). Later on, Eliezer came to the conclusion that “[he] was alone, terribly alone in a world without God” (Wiesel 68). This shows how much the trauma has affected him. In the beginning, Eliezer strongly believed in God and was so involved with his values. Whereas now he claims that he no longer believed in God; he is alone. The trauma caused by the concentration camps was so great that