The Loss Of Innocence In Elie Wiesel's Night

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The Loss of Innocence in the Night "Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age. The child is grown, and puts away childish things. Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies."- Edna St. Vincent Millay. Childhood ends for Elie when he witnesses the death of his fellow Jews and his own God. In the memoir Night, Elie Wiesel, suffers the destruction of his childhood because of the violence and death that he is forced into. Set in Germany during World War I, Ellie struggles emotionally and physically to survive the never ending night. Fifteen year old Elie endures violent struggles many teenagers his age cannot imagine because of his religion. Elie loses his innocence through the death of his family, the loss of his religion …show more content…
Elie experiences abuse when he is beaten severely by an SS officer for no reason. "He threw himself on me like a wild beast, beating me in the chest, on my head, throwing me to the ground and picking me up again, crushing me with ever more violent blows, until I was covered in blood...he must have mistaken my silence for defiance and so he continued to hit me harder and harder"(53). The SS officers dehumanize Elie and make him feel like an object that they can use for violence which makes Elie feel dead inside. Elie does nothing wrong but, he cannot fight back because the officers use fear to keep the Elie and the Jews submissive. Elie also experiences abuse after being whipped for catching a SS officer with a girl. "It was over. I had not realized it, but I had fainted. I came to when they doused me with cold water. I was still lying on the crate. In a blur, I could see the wet ground next to me"(76). The SS officers are corrupt and Elie is punished for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Elie experiences excruciating pain that he did not imagine when he is a child. The abuse that Elie receives deteriorates his humanity and his innocence. "In the concentration camps, we discovered this whole universe where everyone had his place. The killer came to kill, and the victims came to die"- Elie Wiesel. The death of Elie's innocence is necessary for his survival after being taken from his home and family. The loss of innocence is not a choice for Elie because he is forced into a place filled with death and violence. The death of Elie's parents, loss of religion and physical abuse all contribute to the deterioration of Elie's childhood and
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