Nighttime In Elie Wiesel's Night

“Yes, you can lose somebody overnight, yes, your whole life can be turned upside down. Life is short. It can come and go like a feather in the wind.”- Shania Twain. At times, it appears unviable for one’s life to transform overnight in just a few hours. However, this is something various individuals experienced in soul and flesh as they were impinged by those atrocious memoirs of the Holocaust. In addition, the symbolism portrayed throughout the novel Night, written by Elie Wiesel, presents an effective fathoming of the feelings and thoughts of what it’s like to undergo such an unethical circumstance. For instance, nighttime plays a symbolic figure throughout the progression of the story as its used to symbolize death, darkness of the soul,

This can be seen in the novel as it took one night for Elie Wiesel’s faith to be consumed. In addition, the nighttime is a symbol referring to something sinister which aids the reader’s understanding of the theme. An example of this can be viewed on page 65 which states “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 this gallows…” That nigh the soup tasted of corpses”. Elie Wiesel used to be a vivacious person- always seeking God’s presence- but from the commence of this genocide he has been negatively impacted. God used to be his everything; his strength and his mellifluous song that comforted his very soul. However, all that he is dependent on now is bread and water- his utter survival. Moreover, throughout the novel the worst seems to happen during the nighttime as seen in pages 12 through 13, “Night fell. Some twenty people had gathered in our courtyard… “I have a bad feeling,” said my mother… At last, the door opened and he appeared. His face was drained of color. He was quickly surrounded. “Tell us. Tell us what’s happening! Say something…” At that moment, we were anxious to hear something encouraging, a few words telling us that there was nothing to worry about… But one glance at my father’s face left no doubt.” The news is terrible,” he said at last. And then one word: “Transports.” The first

This can also be found in the title of the novel as it symbolizes death, loss of faith and hope. Additionally, as previously stated, the worst suffering seems to occur at night. For example, the narrative contains many last nights: the last night in Sighet, the last night in Buna, the last night with his father and many more. Night also symbolizes a world without God. Wiesel contends that God does not live in the concentration camps and God's people have no recourse. Another time where night represents a dark time is when Eliezer and his father arrive at Auschwitz and wait in line all night long with the smell of death in their noses as they watched all those individuals die. Finally, “No man knows till he has suffered from the night how sweet and dear to his heart and eye the morning can be.”- Bram