Night’ shows that even in the most brutalising conditions, people still behave humanely. To what extent do you agree? ” In the text Night, written by Elie Wiesel, it is a horrific story about how the Nazi’s invaded Wiesel’s hometown of Sighet, Hungry and where taken under German control and sent to many concentration camps. During his time at the concentration camps, Elie and fallow Jews were in harsh and unforgettable conditions and treated severe from the Germans that no one could imagine.
There is plenty of evidence which supports that even through many people turned and began to do dreadful things to one another; there were the very few people who stayed calm and gentle within all of the commotion. Night’ illustrates the horrifying conditions that the Jews suffered while being at the hands of the Nazi’s. While Wiesel and his family along with thousands of Jewish people were under the control of the Germans in the act to exterminate all of the Jews. It all began for Elie’s family at the start, when they were put into ghettos.
The ghettos were a part of town that had been fenced off and the Jews were made to stay there until there had been taken to the concentration camps. There was limit food and water there; it was whatever they could basically put in their backpacks. When they finally were on the way to Auschwitz, on the crowded train, there was no food or water for a large number on days. The cattle cars/ train carriages had up to 80 people in each, and they were big they were very small so there was nowhere to sit; they had to take turns of sitting down.
The conditions in the camps where just as bad sometimes worse, there was very limited food, they only got a small ration of bread crust and some soup. The Germans would beat the Jews just because they could, they were put into horrible, harsh and cruel conditions but they were put in such violent conditions, watching people and little kids get hung as they were made to stand and watch, or watch as loved ones get beaten and die slowly. While the time spent there went by the conditions didn’t get any better, they got worse.
One of the worst things that happened constantly in the camps did not just have to watch people die, or eve seeing the massive piles of dead bodies but the Germans made the Jews burn their fellow prisoners bodies in the crematoriums. The Jews were taken out of their homes and thrown into camps, while watching people die all around them if cruel and violent conditions as the Germans heartlessly treated them like animals. Through-out the novel Night’, it is shown that nder such cruel and heartless conditions that the prisoners begin to turn on each other. Such acts of violence not only from the Germans but also from fallow in-mates attack and sometimes kill one another. While for some they didn’t want to act in such horrific ways, but only to survive they didn’t what was needed. One of the first glimpses of how the prisoners would do what even it takes to survive even if it meet kill someone close to them was that of the son and father.
On the train to Buchenwald, as it passes through German towns, some German works through a little bit of bread into the carts of the train, as the prisoners begin to fight over the bread the works get amused by it and begin to throw more. As a result of the bread being thrown on the train many die, to the amusement of the German works. One of the in-mates that die is through, prisoners turning on each other, the old man died as a result of his own son not having any will-power it overcome the temptation of being able to eat, even if it meant at his own fathers cost.
This shows that even through the heartless conditions that the Jews were put in, if it came down to death or survival, they would choose survival even if it meant the death of a loved one. However through Night’, it is shown that while some prisoners can’t control themselves and act horrible towards each other, there are a few who stay content and are have indifferent to the needs of others. Most people didn’t have the will-power to not turn on each other within the most horrible conditions, but for the ones who could it was good.
For Elie and this father, one in-mate at the start of the end, while they were going into Auschwitz was not one of the ones that turned on each other if it wasn’t for him they wouldn’t have survived. The in-mate as they were about to walk into hell had asked for their ages, as Elie and Chlomo said their age 15 and 50, the in-mate replied with “ not fifty, you’re forty. Do you hear me Eighteen and Forty” because they were told to say that they were eighteen and forty, they didn’t end up getting taken to the crematory but instead to the work factories.
Because of this kind and caring in-mate Elie and Chlomo, were still alive instead of being died if they had told them their real ages. This shows that even through the brutalising conditions they had been put in, for the ones that still were kind and giving they were able to help people survive for longer than what they would off. Furthermore through-out Night’, it is shown that Elie and his father Chlomo; prove that love can outweigh inhumanity. From the start of this raumatic experience, Elie and Chlomo have been very close as they only have each other. Elie and Chlomo have gone through so much together. When Elie begin to let the conditions get to him he started acting different but he full through in the end, Elie didn’t know what was happening to him. He just stood there and watched as his father was being beaten from idek, Elie stated “ That was what the concentration camps had made of me…” he doesn’t know what has happened to him, he was angry at his father for getting beaten.
Through their ups and downs they always pull through and live to help each other. They are living because of each other, they are getting each other through the horrible and tough times, the rolls between Elie and his father at times were reversed, that Elie was almost like the father figure in their relationship when Chlomo got sick. Elie could of don’t put all of his strength into caring for his father, but he doesn’t let the brutalising conditions there in just to him as they said they would care for each other.
The only thing that was keeping Chlomo going was Elie and same goes for Elie, When Chlomo passed away, Elie states “ I remained in Buchenwald until April 11; I shall not describe my life during that period. It no longer matter. Since my father’s death, nothing mattered to me anymore. ” This shows that even through the worse conditions described, Elie and Chlomo despite their ups and downs they stuck by each other in the end and even when Chlomo has passes Elie had nothing left but he did do anything stupid. Their love for each other showed stronger that inhumanity itself.
In conclusion Night’ shows that even in the rough of all rough conditions which being in the concentration throw at you, some people under these conditions and sufferings they act badly and inhuman. But while others still act in compassion and still care and are kind to others, while from them acts of love and there goodness, comes out even through the toughest of all conditions, Elie and his father Chlomo are one of the ones that show that love is stronger than the brutal condition they have been shoved in.
