"Night" by Elie Weisel

[HobbitFriend]

This book happened to come up in a discussion in the Hobbit Worship Thread (quite ironic, since this is a very sad and serious book and hobbits are very light-hearted, happy folk). But I thought that it would be a good topic to discuss. A! Elbereth and I coincidentally happen to be reading this book right now for our English classes. I found the book to be very sad, and Elie's description of his life during the time of the Holocaust is very moving. The cruelties that Weisel describes are beyond words, and for anyone to deny that they ever happend is unimaginable. So, what are your thoughts on this novel, and the events of the Holocaust?

[Voroturiön]

Very sad. Very simple prose. But, very enlightening. I met him once and got his autograph. He has an aura of sorrow around him. I highly recommend this book. And the Holocaust Museum in DC.

[Caligula]

I read this this book in 7th or 8th grade for a World Cultures class. I remember thinking it was so sad at the time, but the only things I can remember now are his description of the public hanging and his (or was it his friend's?) internal conflict on whether or not God still loved the Jewish people (a "why is this happening to us, when we did nothing wrong" sort of thing). I read it three or four years ago, so I've forgotten most of the details, but those two events still stand out.

The more I think about it, the more I want to read it.... perhaps during spring break, if I get the chance.

[SindarinGirl]

If you like Night, try A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch, by Solzhenitsyn (sp?).
It's about a man in a Soviet gulag.

I haven't read Night yet. Maybe after I finish a couple books I'm in right now.

[A! Elbereth]

I finished Night today. Very intriguing, sorrowful, and meaningful story. I loved it. :thumbs: I also admire the way he writes... I have a knack for noticing those things. He describes things in so little words, it's wonderful!

[HobbitFriend]

yah, he seems to write with many short, simple sentences but they hold so much emotion and power. ((oh, and i noticed that i accidentally spelt his last name wrong. It's "Wiesel" :blush: small typo ;) ))
Originally posted by Caligula
I can remember now are his description of the public hanging and his (or was it his friend's?) internal conflict on whether or not God still loved the Jewish people
Oh yes, the public haning... :( I know he described two of them, and one of the hangings were three people together, one of them being a little boy. And the poor boy was so light that he just hung there strangling and suffocating to death mecry Uh, some parts such as that one just made me feel physically ill. I think it was at this point that he really began to have that internal conflict you were talking about. Elie used to be very religious and would spend a lot of time praying and learning the cabbala (sp?) and then with the events at Auschwitz, Buna, Buchenwald, etc, he began to lose his faith in God. That just goes to show you how absolutely horrible it was. (and who knows what was in that soup! ...by some of his descriptions it sounds like they might have had human flesh in there... pfbbt horrible...disgusting... :( )

[Caligula]

Originally posted by HobbitFriend
[one of the hangings were three people together, one of them being a little boy. And the poor boy was so light that he just hung there strangling and suffocating to death]

I had forgotten about the little boy.... but now that I remember, my hands are seriously shaking.....

I don't think I can wait until Spring Break to start 'Night'. I think I'll go check it out tomorrow after school.

[ImDaMom]

My children have both had the opportunity to hear and meet Mr Wiesel, and travel to the death camps in Poland and Czech republic. They have gained an incredible insight into human failings, as well as strengths. Our community is home to many many survivors, and his story in Night, while tragic, is, sadly, not unique.
This is a story that MUST NOT be forgotten. HobbitFriend, your signature says it all about these people's outlook and how they survived. Anytime you have the chance to speak to a survivor, take it. Listen and learn about the great strength in these people. This is a topic very near and dear to me, and I cannot stress how important it is to listen to these people. Within the next 15-20 years, they'll all be gone..and their stories must not die.

[SindarinGirl]

Ditto ImDaMom, I also urge everyone to go to a Holocaust Museum (or any other opportunity that presents itself) to learn from the survivors.
This is a part of human history that we cannot allow to be lost to time, or simply sanitized and condensed by textbooks.

[ImDaMom]

Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it. (I forget who said that)

[Emrenell Laicrist]

I read Night in the 8th grade when our English class was studying the Holocaust. It's a very moving book and my heart just ached when I was reading it.
Over the years I have been to a few Holocaust related places. I want to learn all I can about it so to prevent it from happening again. That's prolly why I dislike narrow-minded people so much. pfbbt There was an exhibit in a sciene museum that was walk-through and you could feel like you were in the Jewish people's daily lives while walking through it. It went from the beginning of the conflict to the end of the war. Then this past spring break when I went to Germany, my parents and I went to Dachau. At least I think it was Dachau, I'm kinda fuzzy on the details right now. But it was the one with the statue of all the skeletons lying horizontal, if anyone has gone before.