Inhumane In Night By Elie Wiesel

Words: 642
Pages: 3

It is evident in Elie Wiesel’s Night that the Jewish people who suffered during the Holocaust were tortured, dehumanized, and subjected to countless atrocities. As a result, many victims who were previously decent people emerged as brutes. They participated in violent acts, treated their friends and family with little to no respect, and carried out a variety of other inhumane actions. Elie does not submit to the fate of becoming a brute, as he regrets his less honourable actions, he maintains a close relationship with his father, and he is appalled by the actions of those who have become more hardened due to the cruel conditions. Though nearly everything around Elie points him in the direction of becoming brute, and he certainly flirts with …show more content…
For example, when Elie is on the train headed to Birkenau with many other Jews, there is a woman named Mrs. Schächter who begins to lose her grip on reality. She is screaming and crying, and others are attempting to silence her. Though Elie can not stand the screams, he disagrees with the course of action taken. In his own words, “When they actually struck her, people shouted their approval…The night seemed endless.” (Wiesel 26). He is shocked that others resort to violence, and approve of it. Clearly, he feels uncomfortable in this situation, just as any decent person would. However, there is little he can do to change it. The same is true later on in Night, when Elie’s father is abused by another inmate, and Elie virtually fails to reacts. He feels disgusted with himself, which is evident in his thoughts. “Only yesterday, I would have dug my nails into this criminal’s flesh. Had I changed that much? So fast? Remorse began to gnaw at me.” (39). At this point in time, Elie is aware of the fact that being subjected to the tortuous conditions of the concentration camp is changing him. He also immediately regrets the fact that he does not stop his father from being hurt. Overall, though Elie may sometimes fail to act upon his thoughts, he remains a conscious and moral person. Therefore, he escapes the outcome of shifting from a