By 1945, two out of every three Jewish people in Europe had been killed. After the industrialized killing of the Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and others by the Nazis, over 11 million people had been murdered. The book Night by Elie Wiesel tells the true story of his own life as a boy who was one of the few to survive.
This book shows the progression of the Nazis in Europe through the story of a young, Jewish boy. The book follows Elie Wiesel as he and his family are forced to live in small ghettos where people were stuffed into rooms. After they dwelled in the ghettos for a substantial time, he and his family were forced out and jammed into cattle cars. Finally, after traveling for many days and teetering on the brink of starvation, the cart reached its destination. Elie thought that it couldn’t be worse than what they had been through.
But he had never been so wrong.
The Wiesel family had arrived at the infamous camp, Auschwitz, where they were immediately sent to inspection. Elie and his father passed by the skin of their teeth, but his mother and siblings were not as fortunate. Elie never saw them, again. Then he and his father were stripped, shaved, tattooed, and then sent to work. They labored like slaves, operating only on the minuscule amount of old, moldy food that they were provided. Even though he was abused like a wild animal, somehow Elie was able to make it through.
Although the book contained a terrible amount of sadness, it was an important book to read because of the historical significance and the lessons it teaches. The book taught me that really evil things can happen in this world and that one evil leader can brainwash a lot of people and do a lot of damage if the people don't stand up to it.
Another lesson in the book is that you can survive just about anything if you have something to live for. Elie was able to make it through so many obstacles when he kept going for his father. This was very inspirational and showed you always need a purpose in life.
Although this book depicted the horrific actions of the Nazis, the book is a necessity to read for anyone who wants to prevent another tragedy from happening in the future. The book shows the shocking reality of how bad the world can really get when people refuse to stand up for themselves. Night is a must-read for anyone who cares about the world and wants to keep compassion alive.