Elie Wiesel's Night

Words: 1371
Pages: 6

Near the end of the novel Night, the main character Elie and his father Shlomo are forced to march through a harsh German winter in order for Nazis to stop the liberation of all the prisoners at Auschwitz. On this death march, many prisoners died because they were too weak. Many suffered from malnutrition and dehydration at camp; Therefore, could not stand the twenty kilometer march. Bodies fell all around Elie and his father. At times, they had to hurdle over the the dead in order to keep up pace with and not fall out of line with the rest of the living. Finally, the group had arrived at their final destination for the night: an abandoned building in a rural town. The Jews were all rushed into a single building; thousands of persons were crammed into a small area. Everyone was too tired to stand, but laying down meant being trampled underfoot. Those who were able to stand stayed alive, while those who fell asleep on the floor fell into a slumber they'd never wake up from. …show more content…
Those who were dead stayed in their final resting spot, while those alive departed for another grueling march. The remaining prisoners were guided to a railroad where they were met by a train with roofless cattle cars. Like their transport from Sighet to Auschwitz, Elie and Shlomo had to be crammed tightly into these cars and withstand the elements of nature. The prisoners went six days without food or water. All they had to devour was the snow that fell on their backs, or pieces of bread that were thrown into the cars by town citizens at local