The 1940s were a dark time in the world, but they were especially dark for the Jews. The Holocaust was a horrendous genocide that occurred during this time. Elie Weisel’s memoir Night tells of his teenage experience during the Holocaust. Night is a story with many themes, these themes help readers understand and sympathize with those who were tortured and murdered in the Holocaust. He does this to ensure this can never happen again. Themes of silence, faith, and Wiesel’s father-son relationship. The way Wiesel develops these themes creates a meaningful, detailed, and emotional experience for the reader.
One theme that stands out in Night is silence. Wiesel makes a point to show that sometimes people must stay silent to save themselves. One example of this is on page 39 when Eliezer doesn't stand up for his father after he is struck. Wiesel states: “My father had been struck, in front of me, and I had not even blinked. I had watched and kept silent.” The theme is additionally explored on p. 64 when Wiesel writes: “But the boy was silent.” This sentence shows how even before death, they were afraid, or unable, to speak up. Both these examples reinforce the theme that silence
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Night attests to the fact that even the most devoted in their faith can lose it. This is clearly seen on page 33, “For the first time, I felt anger rising in me. Why should I sanctify his name?” The Lord didn’t help Eliezer during his time of great need, and he started to lose faith because of it. I can also see his faith dwindling on page 65. Evidence of Eliezer’s faith dying is when he says: “Behind me I heard the same man asking: ‘For God's sake, where is God?’ And from within me I heard a voice answer: ‘Where He is? This is where, hanging here from the gallows.’” These examples help me understand that no matter how devoted you are, a horrid situation can always make you lose your