Night

Elie Wiesel

Historical Background

• World War II (1939-1945)

• The Holocaust

• Concentration Camps

Elie Wiesel (1928-Present)

• Born in Transylvania, Romania

• Taken to concentration camps by the Nazis at age 15 in 1944

• Night tells his story at the hands of the Nazis

• Winner of numerous awards including the Nobel peace prize

Night is…

• A novel based very closely on Elie’s experiences during The Holocaust

• Considered by many to be a memoir

• The first book in a trilogy

Themes• Struggle to maintain faith in a benevolent God• Loss of innocence when faced with traumatic

experiences • Silence in the face of tragedy• The presence of Inhumanity towards other

humans• The Importance of family bonds and how they

can easily be destroyed• Hatred of others because of life experiences• Survival and Perseverance during tragic times

• Motifs

– Tradition

– Religious Observance

• Symbols

– Fire

– Night