Life Is Beautiful Vs Night

Night and Day In the great history of man, there is no event committed as gut-wrenchingly ignoble as the Holocaust. Therefore, conveying the devastation and emotional trauma on a believable and personal level is a sign of fantastic writing, which can be seen in Elie Wiesel’s Night. Moreover, to take this awful situation and put an almost light-hearted twist on it is also increasable, which is seen in the film “Life is Beautiful.” Accordingly, both of these mediums portray main characters that are in concentration camps, but present them in varying ways that create stories that feel completely different. There are similarities and differences to be found in the stories through God’s provisions, the father/son relationships, and their tones.

This is presented in Night and “Life is Beautiful.” Night leaves a feeling of disperse and devastation when the book is over, “One day when I was able to get up, I decided to look at myself in the mirror on the opposite wall. I had not seen myself since the ghetto. From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me. The look in his eye as he gazed at me has never left me” (Wiesel, 2006, P. 115). A quote like that leaves an impression, an emotional sucker-punch to the gut that leaves a feeling of sickness that lasts. This tone of destruction and anguish is present throughout the novel as one soul-crushing catastrophe after another torments Elie during his imprisonment. Meanwhile, “Life is Beautiful” presents that same disheartening tone, yet puts a more optimistic twist on the situation. As stated before, Guido sets up the Holocaust as a sort of game with a sizeable prize on the line. This jocular set up is what causes Giosue to have a more positive outlook on the experience as a whole (Life is Beautiful, 2000). Despite the awful situation, Guido keeps a shockingly positive attitude that rubs off on Giosue and the viewer. Even to the last moment before his own death, Guido puts a smile on for his child, which is truly bittersweet. Add an ending that melts the heart, and one is left with a feeling of emotional confusion, which is what makes this narrative to be incredibly memorable.

The Holocaust is not an easy subject to talk about, let alone read an entire book or watch an full movie on the affair. Yet, to present the despicable situation in a tasteful manor that not only causes people to think, but also creates such strong emotion is truly brilliant writing. That is exactly what is found in both Night and “Life is Beautiful.” Both of these works are masterpieces in their own right. It is truly a spectacle that both of these works cover the same harsh topics yet feel so completely different. Night and “Life is Beautiful” are both similarly fantastic works, however, it is their differences that make them stand out. In order to form a greater understanding of the topics presented, the hoi polloi of the world must indulge in both of these medias. References
Life is Beautiful [Motion picture on DVD]. (2000). Miramax Home Entertainment.
Wisel, E. (2006). Night. New York, NY: Hill and Wang, a division of division of Farrar, Straus and