Book Report - Night by Elie Wiesel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Book Report - Night by Elie Wiesel - Essay Example Through Eliezer, he relates his story although there were minor differences. Example, Wiesel was wounded on his knee and Eliezer was wounded on his foot. He created these slight variations to establish a distinction between him and his character. But Wiesel and Eliezer are the same persons. They share the same experiences, they share the same perspective, they share the same feelings. And because they have too many things in common, Wiesel could be lost in developing his narrative. This does not make Night a fiction story. Wiesel only made things a little bit different because it was too much memory to bear. There was a personal need to change certain things so he can continue with his narrative as truthful as it can be. As you would notice, the differences do not impact the experiences of the character. Whatever he felt during his experience, it was the same feeling that Wiesel felt at that moment he experienced it. Wiesel’s experience had left a mark on him. Although it did not completely destroy him, it changed him significantly. Who wouldn’t, when he had experienced the cruelty that man inflicted towards his fellow men. That was the essence of the last statement of the narrative. By the end of the story, Eliezer was a changed man. As Wiesel created a division between him and his main character by giving Eliezer slightly different experiences, Eliezer created a barrier between him and himself. He felt he was a different person as he looks at himself in the mirror. Although he sees himself, he feels that his reflection is staring at himself, that his eyes have their own life, gravely emphasizing the emptiness that he was feeling at that moment. Eliezer is a dynamic character. He changes with time within the story. This is significant as the narrative focuses on relating Wiesel’s experiences. The narrative is concentrated in telling Eliezer’s experiences through his own eyes. Whatever opinions there are, whatever tho ughts there are in the story, it was his and only his. You would not hear or see things beyond his thoughts. You would not read about Chlomo’s thoughts about his son. You would not find anything about Moshe’s experiences when he was caught by the Nazis. You would only observe and look into Eliezer’s thoughts and emotions. Eliezer’s relationship with his father was a significant point in the story. It became his stronghold, the reason for living through the dreadful torture and persecution of the Nazi era. During his childhood, he found the Jewish religion because of his curiosity. Moshe the Beadle was the one who guided him and taught him what Jewish religion is. When Hitler seized control of Romania, Eliezer found himself in the middle of a discriminating world. That’s when he started to get confused. He was not deeply affected when he heard Moshe’s stories about the cruelty done to the Jews. But when he saw it with his own eyes, his faith started to shake. He did not expect that world to exist and â€Å"never shall (he) forget those moments which murdered (his) God and (his) soul and turned (his) dreams into dust.† At â€Å"the first night in the camp†¦the little faces of children, whose bodies†¦turned into wreaths of smoke†¦(the) flames consumed (his) faith forever.† He did not expect that this could happen and everything that he learned in his Jewish faith was turned upside down. When he heard the question, â€Å"Where is God? Where is He,† his answer that â€Å"He is hanging here on this gallows† indicated that his faith is slowly dying, like the man who was slowly dying in front of him. Before this experience, he felt that the question â€Å"where is God† is a strange question to ask, that it is similar to asking, â€Å"why did (he) live(s) and why did (he) breathe.†