Night

Whom does Elie first begin to hate and why?

The first people Elie began to hate was the Hungarian police because they were very disrespectful to the Jews as they were being deported. They felt betrayed by the Hungarian police.

How does Elie describe the ghetto once the people had been deported?

The ghetto looked like a yard sale. Everyone's belongings were strewn out all over the yards. The homes had the doors open and windows open. No people were there, just belongings.

Theme

The message or lesson of the story

According to the veterans of Buna, how has the camp changed in the past few years as far as conditions for the prisoners?

The old camp was "veritable hell. No water, no blankets, less soup and bread. At night, we slept almost naked and the temperature was thirty below. We were collecting corpses by the hundreds every day. Work was very hard. Today, this is a little paradise. The Kapos back then had orders to kill a certain number of prisoners every day. And every week, a selection. A merciless selection...Yes, you are lucky" (Wiesel 70).

What is ironic about the choice Elie and his father make concerning staying in the hospital or evacuating with the others in his unit?

The patients in the infirmary were liberated by the Russians two days later, and they decided to be evacuated with everyone else rather than stay.

How do the prisoners appease their thirst while waiting for the train to arrive?

The prisoners ate snow off of each others' backs.

Why do the Germans decide to "liquidate" Buchenwald and evacuate the prisoners?

The war front is getting closer and closer.

Why do the young Jewish men with knives not attack the SS?

Their fathers convince them that it is not worth it, and they need to stay hopeful through this time.

What are the conditions like inside the cattle wagons?

There is no room to sit, it is crowded, there's no bathroom, no food, and no water.

What stops the final evacuation of prisoners from the camp?

There was an alert that delayed the final evacuation, and then the resistance (liberators) took control of the camp.

How is it that Elie and his father survive the first selection off the train?

They lied about their age to be able to work.

To what new camp do Elie and his father go?

They travel to Buna.

What was the bad news that Elie's father had to tell the people of the ghetto communities?

They were getting transported elsewhere.

What is the significance of A-7713?

This is Elie's prisoner number.

Moishe the Beadle

Tries to warn the Jews of Sighet

What choice does each man have at Auschwitz?

Work or death

allusion

a brief reference to a person, place, thing, event, or idea in history or literature

"How I sympathized with Job!"

allusion

"I've got a premonition of evil," said my mother.

foreshadowing

Sighet

home of Elie

"I've got more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He's the only one who's kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people."

irony

Budapest

place of anti-Semitic activity

Buchenwald

place where Elie's father died

Auschwitz

place where Elie's mother and sister die

Kaddish

prayer for the dead

barbed wire

symbolism

Irony

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite

irony

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

theme

the main idea, message, or lesson learned in literary work

Symbolism

the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities

It is a warning to the living that atrocities like the Holocaust can happen and will happen again if we are not vigilant.

theme

What does Akiba Drumer say is the reason for why they are experiencing such brutality?

"'God is testing us. He wants to see whether we are capable of overcoming our base instincts, of killing the Satan within ourselves. We have no right to despair. And if He punishes us mercilessly, it is a sign that He loves us that much more...'" (Wiesel 45).

In a better world, Elie could imagine a universe without what?

"I imagined a universe without a bell" (Wiesel 73).

What advice does the Polish prisoner in charge of their barrack give before they are allowed to lie down in a bunk?

"Let there be camaraderie among you. We are all brothers and share the same fate. The same smoke hovers over all our heads. Help each other. That is the only way to survive" (Wiesel 41).

What is Elie's first impression of the camp at Buna?

"The camp ooked as though it had been through an epidemic: empty and dead. Only a few 'well-dressed' inmates were wandering between the blocks" (Wiesel 47).

What is the importance of Rosh Hashanah, according to the text?

"The last day of the cursed year" (Wiesel 66). Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. The last day of the year.

What is the slogan for Auschwitz?

"Work is Liberty", work makes you free

Order of Events

1. Elie Wiesel meets Francios Mauriac. 2. Moishe the Beadle returns to Sighet to warn Jews. 3. Elie and his family go to the ghetto. 4. The cattle cars from Sighet arrive at Auschwitz. 5. Elie is severely beaten by Idek. 6. The pipel is hanged. 7. Prisoners run in the blinding snow to Gleiwitz. 8. Juliek plays his violin for the last time. 9. Chlomo dies at Buchenwald. 10. American troops liberate Buchenwald.

What is the punishment Idek gives Elie for leaving the area assigned to him to work?

25 lashes/whips.

Akiba Drumer

A Jewish Holocaust victim who gradually loses his faith in God as a result of his experiences in the concentration camp

Symbolism

A device in literature where an object represents an idea.

Dr. Mengele

A doctor who performed brutal, unnecessary experiments and operations upon prisoners. Decides Selection

What is the "inheritance" Elie's father gives to him if he does not survive the second selection?

A knife and a spoon.

Foreshadowing

A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader.

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

foreshadowing

A warning or indication of a future event

Juliek

A young musician whom Eliezer meets in Auschwitz. Juliek reappears late in the memoir, when Elie hears him playing the violin after the death march to Gleiwitz. Plays Beethoven

What is the final destination of the cattle wagons?

Auschwitz.

Elie Wiesel

Author of Night; narrator

What is the importance of Juliek's playing of Beethoven's concerto?

Beethoven was German, and Jews were not allowed to play music composed by Germans. Juliek did this out of defiance.

What camp do Elie and his father end up going to?

Buchenwald

Spoon and knife

Chlomo

Monocle

Dr. Mengele

Gold crown

Elie

What do you think Elie means when he says, "free at last" concerning his father's death?

Elie no longer has to focus on taking care of his father rather than himself and giving his rations away.

How does the presence of his father give Elie the strength to continue the march?

Elie was his father's only support.

How does Elie feel after the death of his father?

Elie was numb with shock but could not bring himself to cry for his father.

Shlomo Wiesel

Elie's father

Elie must have surgery for what reason?

Elie's foot had swollen.

What stares back at Elie at the end of the novel?

Elie's reflection on a mirror stares back at him, he describes the image as a living corpse.

Tzipora Wiesel

Elie's younger sister who goes to the gas chamber with their mother

What does the dentist look for in the mouths of the prisoners?

Gold crowns. He removed this with a rusty spoon.

What thoughts does Elie have concerning his father, and why does he feel ashamed?

He abandoned his father during the mob, and he forgot to check on him.

Why does Abika Drumer decide to die?

He has lost faith in God.

The image that Elie has of the Rabbi Eliahou's son running away from his father in the snowy march initiates a prayer. Explain the importance of the prayer.

He prays to never leave his father like Rabbi Eliahou's son did.

Why does Elie say, "there was no more reason to live, no more reason to struggle" when he wakes up to a snow covered, open cattle car?

He thought his father was dead.

Why is Elie angry with his father right after they debark from the train at the camp?

He was angry that his father said he couldn't go on anymore. They had lived through and endured so much, he wanted him to keep fighting.

What excuse does Elie give to the dentist so that he won't take out his gold crown?

He's not feeling well.

Why can't Zalman continue to march?

His stomach was aching.

Why is the pipel hanged?

His unit was hiding some weapons as sabotage and were arrested on the spot. The pipel wouldn't provide any names of those involved. This was different than the other hangings because he was a child.

Whip

Idek

Why does Idek beat Elie's father? What is Elie's first reaction as the beating is taking place?

Idek beats Elie's father because he lost his temper whenever they were loading diesel motors onto freight cars. Elie's first reaction was that he stayed silent.

Buna

Idek is his Kapo

Why does Elie thank God for mud?

It covered his new shoes to prevent him from being noticed.

Why does Elie, some years later, ask a lady not to throw money out to the poor?

It reminded him of prisoners fighting for bread.

Why is the violin so important to Juliek?

It was all that Juliek had left, and a reminder of his life before the concentration camps.

What are the overall conditions of the march to the next camp?

It was icy wind blowing violently. The SS forced them to run. If people collapsed, they were shot. They ran well over 20 kilometers (~12 miles).

Violin

Juliek

Idek

Kapo who beats Elie and his father

What is ironic in the statement, "I've got more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He's the only one who's kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people"?

Keeping promises is a positive, trustworthy act, but this is ironic because Hitler is promising to kill them, which is not a positive, trustworthy act. Irony is when something is said, but the opposite of what is said happens.

Madame Schachter

Loses her mind as she envisions fire

Describe the character Moishe the Beadle.

Moishe the Beadle is the caretaker of the synagogue. Moishe is poor. The community likes to help the needy, but they don't like them as people. However, Moishe is the only exception because he does a good job of staying out of everyone's way and doesn't cause any problems.

What do you think Moishe means when he tells Elie that he has come to tell the story of his death?

Moishe wanted to warn everyone what was going to happen to them in the future. No one believed him.

Describe Madame Schächter's situation.

Mrs. Schächter is a woman who is on the train with her son. Elie knew her previously. She lost her husband and children throughout the transporting process. She is screaming and crying hysterically, exclaiming that there is a fire that she sees, but when the others look out of the train, they see nothing. She is beaten to try to keep her quiet, but she continues on for days. Mrs. Schächter's son tries to keep her quiet, but she doesn't listen. He stays right by her the whole time.

On what day are Elie and his family deported from the ghetto?

On the Sabbath (a day set aside for rest and worship).

Zalman

One of Eliezer's fellow prisoners. Zalman is trampled to death during the run to Gleiwitz.

What question is "hotly debated" regarding Yom Kippur — The Day of Atonement?

Should we fast?