Night Thesis and Quotes

Theme: In the novel, Night, the greed for power and endurance of pain in humans corrupts them to perform mortally inhumane acts of brutality against each other, the resulting death being tragic and terrible to ever occur.

Quotes
"... Franek knew where to touch me; he knew my weak point. My father had never done military service, and he never succeeded in marching in stop... this was Franek's chance to torment my father and to thrash him savagely every day."

"The Kapo gave a short speech. 'An ordinary prisoner has no right to meddle in other people's affairs... I'm obligated, therefore, to make it very clear to him once and for all.'... then I was aware of nothing but the strokes of the whip."

"... an old man dragging himself along on all fours... he had a bit of bread under his shirt... a shadow had just loomed up near him. The shadow threw itself upon him. Felled to the group, stunned with blows, the old man cried... he collapsed... and died amid the general indifference. Hi son searched him, took the bread, and began to devour it... two men had seen and hurled themselves upon him... when they withdrew, next to me were two corpses, side by side, the father and the son."

"his son had seen him losing ground, limping, staggering back to the rear of the column. He had seen him. And he had continued to  run on in front, letting the distance between them grow greater. A terrible thought loomed up in my head: he had wanted to get rid of his father! He had felt that his father was growing weak, he had believed that the end was near and had sought this separation in order to get rid of the burden, to free himself from an encumbrance which could lessen his own chances of survival."

"...soon a terrible word was circulating - selection. We knew what that meant. An SS man would examine us. Whenever he found a weak one, a musulman as we called them, he would write his number down: good for the crematory."

"One day... we saw three gallows rearing up in the assembly place, three black crows... three victims in chains - and one of them, the littler servant, the sad-eyed angel. The SS seemed more preoccupied, more disturbed than usual. To hang a young boy in front of thousands of spectators was no light matter... the tree victims mounted together onto the chairs. The three necks were placed at the same moment within the nooses... at a sign from the head of the camp, the three chairs tipped over."


Character: Witnessing traumatic circumstances and facing death at many corners, Elie Wiesel reflected the necessary determination to survive for yourself and those around you in the bleakest times of life.

Quotes
"I did not weep, and it pained me that I could not weep. But I had no more tears. And, in the depth of my being, in the recesses of my weakened conscience, could I have searched it, I might perhaps have found something like-free at last!"

"I ran off to look for my father. And at the same time I was afraid of having to wish him a Happy New Year when I no longer believed in it."

"Death wrapped itself around me till I was stifled. It stuck to me. I felt that I could touch it. The idea of dying, of no longer being, began to fascinate me. Not to exist any longer. Not to feel the horrible pains in my foot. Not to feel anything, neither weariness, nor cold, nor anything."

"I woke from my apathy just at the moment when two men came up to my father . I threw myself on top of his body. He was cold. I slapped him. I rubbed his hands, crying 'Father! Father! Wake up... He isn't dead! Not yet!' I set to work to slap him as hard as I could."

"'They're going to do another selection today... a decisive selection.' I was silent. He felt that his time was short... 'Don't talk like that, Father. I don't want you to say that. We shall see each other again this evening, after work.'"

"My father's presence was the only thing that stopped me... He was running at my side, out of breath, at the end of his strength, at his wit's end. I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his only support."