Relationships In Night

The book Night by Elie Wiesel teaches many different lessons about the human nature, human condition, and society. Elie is a boy that grew up in Sighet, Transylvania (present day Romania) during the time that the Nazi’s and Adolf Hitler came to power. After being placed in ghettos, the Jews of Sighet eventually got shipped off to the concentration camps, the first being Auschwitz/Birkenau. When the Jews first arrived at these camps, they made sure to keep their friends and family close, as well as they looked out for eachother. After months passed by, many began to grow weak due to the lack of food and the harsh conditions that they faced. Because of these conditions, the relationships between many changed dramatically. Night teaches that relationships

One day, after a long march that the prisoners endured, they ended up in the middle of a field in Poland. After waiting for many hours, a train finally arrived that would be taking them to a new concentration camp. The prisoners were on this train for a total of ten nights in which they faced dreadful and unbearable conditions. Many were weak and dying. However, after a while, the train would stop and the SS would let them throw out people who they thought were dead, and the reactions to this are shown with, “Here’s one [body] take him! They undressed him, the survivors avidly sharing out his clothes. The living rejoiced, there would be more room” (Wiesel, 94). This shows how people were getting thrown out of the train (some dead, some alive) all because everyone wanted more space, as well as their belongings. The prisoners didn’t want to throw others out of the train (especially if they were alive), but they had to in order to be more comfortable, which could help them survive. By throwing them out of the train, the other prisoners could get their clothes, which gave them the opportunity to be able to stay warm in the harsh winter conditions. Also, if they had any food on them, they were able to eat that as well. If the relationships weren’t tested, then nobody would’ve gotten what they needed for survival, as well as more people would’ve

Night clearly illustrates that while in the concentration camps, everyone had to fight for themselves in order to live. No one could do it for them. Sometimes in order to live, they had to attack someone they loved for that extra piece of food or that blanket that could make them a tiny bit warmer. It was not a choice that many prisoners wanted to make, but it was necessary for survival. Thanks to Elie Wiesel writing this particular piece of literature, the world is able to be reminded of the horrific things that these people went through for many years of their lives. They are able to be educated about these things so they will never happen