The theme of luck, both good and bad, runs throughout Night. Although Elie experiences bad luck because he is suffering during the Holocaust, I feel like Elie was also one of the lucky ones because he got to work next to his father and ultimately survived World War ll. Most people were separated when they arrived at the concentration camps (unlucky), but Elie and his father were able to stay together (lucky). Elie also experiences bad luck just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is just working when an SS guard comes along and beats up Elie for no reason: “One day when Idek was venting his fury, I happened to cross his path. He threw himself on me like a wild beast. . . crushing me with ever more violent blows, until I was covered in blood. . . Abruptly, he calmed down and sent me back to work as if nothing had happened” (53). If someone else had crossed Idek’s path (unlucky), Elie would have been safe (lucky). Many times throughout the book, Elie worries that his father will not pass the selection and his father worries about the same thing. They learn that the selection used to be much worse. Some veteran prisoners tell them, “‘You’re lucky to have been brought here so late. Today, this is a paradise compared to what two years ago. Back then, Buna was a veritable hell. No water, no blankets, less soup and bread. . .And every week, selection. A merciless selection. . . Yes, you are lucky’” (70). Although Elie and his father are Buna (unlucky) it sounds as though conditions are better than they were (lucky). I can kind of connect with witnessing good luck and bad luck because I gave money to charity for my Bar Mitzvah. The charity is for kids who are talented at playing an instrument (lucky), but do not have a lot of money (unlucky). The charity gives them instruments and lessons for free (lucky). I consider myself lucky that I was born in the United States in the 21st century so that I do not need to worry about being executed for my religion.
The way Wiesel writes his memoir is almost like it’s written in prose, he is extremely descriptive with his writing, and his sentences flow, but he keeps the plot fast-paced and moving like the greatest poems are. There was one part I read that almost brought me to tears: the uncertainty of it, the questions it left, and the horrifying thought that it was pure hope that was keeping these people alive when there truly was nothing to hope for. “Take care of your son. He is very weak, very dehydrated. Take care of yourselves, you must avoid selections. Eat! Anything. Anytime. Eat all you can. The weak don’t last very long around here”… And he himself was so thin, so withered, so weak… “The only thing that keeps me alive,” he kept saying, “is to know that Reizel and the little ones are still alive. Were it not for them, I would give up.” One evening, he came to see us, his face radiant. “A transport just arrived from Antwerp. I shall go to see them tomorrow. Surely they will hav...
Eli,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, I realize how much luck plays a part in Elie Wiesel's memoir. Do you think Elie realized this at the time? Do you think he felt lucky? If so, what would be a place in the book to show it?