Inhumanity In Elie Wiesel's The Night

The “Night” is Dark Can you imagine going on a hayride with two hundred people in a wagon meant for twenty five people. Now imagine that the wagon is enclosed from all sides with just one hole in the ceiling for air. How do you feel? Now imagine that this hayride will last for three days without any bathroom breaks or much to eat or drink. Are you beginning to feel nauseated and suffocated yet? This was just the start of the inhumanity inflicted upon the Jewish people by the Nazis. “The Night” is a startling, autobiographical novel by Elie Wiesel. The novel recounts the story of a young Elie Wiesel who was taken to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp in Germany and lives to tell the story. The story is about blind prejudice, unimaginable

They were so tightly packed in the cattle wagons that the author lamented: “lying down was out of the question, and we were only able to sit by taking turns” (Wiesel 18). As a consequence of the over-crowded conditions, all sense of personal space and dignity was forgotten and overlooked. People bickered with each other and one lady who kept screaming about fire was physically subdued. As if the overcrowding was not bad enough, the prisoners were left with very little to eat or drink. The captives “were left with a few loaves of bread and some buckets of water” (Wiesel 12). There were children and old people alike in the cattle wagon. It may be physically possible to go without food for a few days, but going to the bathroom is unavoidable. If the cattle cars were packed tight and locked for three days, where did the people go? Exactly! They had to relieve themselves right where they stood. Before the train started to move, “the doors were closed. We were caught in a trap, right up to our necks” (Wiesel 18). The author was not exaggerating when he suggested that the prisoners were trapped right up to their necks. The cold-heartedness of the situation is appalling and unimaginable in today’s world. As appalling and shocking as the initial treatment of the prisoners was, their fate went from bad to worse once they arrived at