Significance Of Eyes In Night By Elie Wiesel

Eyes are usually happy or bright, lighting up, but they can also be a glimpse into utter darkness. Through the memoir, Night, we are shown images countless times of eyes. In the concentration camps we see instances of eyes portraying the darkness of the Holocaust. Throughout Elie’s time in the concentration camp, he and his father struggled against the darkness threatening to engulf them. This can represent both the darkness within us, and surrounding us. By ruthlessly killing, starving, and depriving them of the necessities to live, we see how truly awful the Nazis were. Used to show the brutal mistreatment of Jews, eyes symbolize the inhumane treatment, the ruthless killing, and the complete loss of hope brought on the the Nazis during the

The eyes of the Jews and the Nazis reveal who the person truly is. In the beginning of the book, the people of Sighet were happy. As time passes, and the reality of their situation began to darken, “in everyone’s eyes, [there was] tears and distress” (Wiesel, 17). As the book progresses, we begin to see everybody lose hope. They now have “tired eyes” (75), as the darkness is beginning to overcome them. As the Nazis starve, beat, and murder the Jews, their indescribable anguish is seen as their “eyes would suddenly go blank,” with no emotion left in them. (76) The Jews were tormented, and we begin to gain more of an understanding of this as we see the emotion in their eyes be swallowed by darkness. Throughout the course of the Holocaust, millions of Jews were murdered. We see this from Elie’s point of view as he endured the suffering of the concentration camps. As “the darkness enveloped” those still living, they were being strangled by the impending darkness. (95) Death surrounded them, and “[their lives] into one long night night seven times sealed.”

The Nazis eyes, “shining with greed,” continued to bring their wrath down upon the thousands of imprisoned Jews (55). As a sense of gloomy dejection trailed behind the prisoners, they were barely able to cope with their situation. Akiba Drumer, a fellow prisoner in Buna completely gave up all sense of hope.When he was nearing his death, “his eyes would suddenly go blank, leaving two gaping wounds, two wells of terror” (76). These wounds can be seen as the emptiness left behind by the Nazis, and the vacant wells of terror as the dehumanization. Even Elie became fascinated by “the idea of dying,” during his seemingly endless run through the snow. (86) Anguish and hopelessness are displayed through one’s eyes as a window into their thoughts and