To What Extent Is It Better To Follow The Crowd In The Book Night

Is it Better to Follow the Crowd, or Stand Out? For decades, inside and outside literature, societal norms have defined many individuals and communities. A multitude of authors emphasizes the actions and consequences these norms have on others. However, societal norms lead to a question, is it better to follow the crowd, and blend in, or is it better to be your own, and stand out? I argue that it is better to follow the crowd. The book Night by Elie Wiesel contains Wiesel’s first-hand experience of the concentration camps during the Holocaust. In one scene during chapter 4, Wiesel was explaining an event where prisoners were left alone in a room that contained two cauldrons full of soup. One thing he particularly said that holds great weight is, “Fear was greater than hunger,” (Wiesel 59). These men are starved and finally given the opportunity to eat, even a bite more, and they do not step out of line. They do not make themselves the one person who stands out and does not follow the crowd. Night supports that is it better to blend in and follow the crowd because, in Wiesels’s case, he had to for survival.

Throughout the story, it follows Leonard Mead and how he stands out from the crowd and his repercussions. “Where are you taking me… To the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies,” (Bradbury 4). Mr. Mead differs from the society he lives in and as a consequence of not following the crowd, he is sent to a psychiatric center. He is taken away from his home and getting forcefully sent away because he does not follow the norm. Bradbury’s story supports fitting in instead of standing out because of the consequences Leonard Mead encounters due to standing out from the