Alek+and+Dan

__**Night Wiki**__ **Summary:** Night is a story told from the standpoint of a Jewish man (Elie Wiesel) who was put through many concentration camps as a child due to the German Nazis. At the beginning of the story, Wiesel is in his hometown, Sighet (located in Transylvania) studying to books of his Jewish faith, the Torah and Cabbala. His teacher, Moshe the Beadle, is deported and eventually returns months later with a horrifying story. Moshe's story tells of the German Gestapo, or secret police force that took over his train and killed everyone. Everyone in the town considers Moshe to be insane until 1944, when the German Nazis invade Hungary and take all of their prisoners to Birkenau via cattle cars. Once Elie and his family arrive at Birkenau, he and his father are separated from Wiesel's mother and sisters. After being evaluated, Elie and his father are shaved, stripped and also disinfected along with the other prisoners. All of the prisoners are then marched to Aushwitz to work. Elie is then put to work at an electrical-fittings factory in the work camp, Buna, where his gold tooth is pried out with a spoon. Also, the prisoners are to watch their fellow inmates be hanged in the Buna. Elie then gets foot surgery and, while in infirmary, is evacuated by the Nazis for they believe the Russians were drawing close to liberating the camp. They end up in Gleiwitz only to be put into cattle cars again for transportation to Buchenwald. At this point there are only 12 survivors and Elie's father dies from physical exhaustion once they arive in Buchenwald. Although, Elie's sadness is soon replaced by relief when the American army liberates the camp on April 11th, 1945.

Night takes place in an array of German concentration camps. The tone of night is very sad, and devistating considering his experience in the camps and the harsh treatment they did to him.
 * Setting/Tone:**

__Eliezer__- Narrator, man in Nazi Captivity throughout book.
 * Characters:**

__Eliezer's Father__- respected by the community of Sighet and by his son

__Moshe the Beadle__- Eliezers teacher of jewish mythicism.

__Madame Schachter__- Jewish woman from Sighet who is in the same train as Eliezer, she has a premonition of fire representing their future struggle.

__Juliek__- young musician who Eliezer meets in Auschwitz.

__Dr. Josef Megele__- man who performed cruel experiments in Auschwitz

__Rabbi Eliahou__- Jewish prisoner whose son leaves him throught the book.

__Franek__- Eliezers foreman at Buna

__Idek__- Eliezers Kapo.

__Night (darkness)__- the evil (nazis, prisons, camps)
 * Symbols:**

__Fire__- nazis power and the jews struggle.

__The struggle to maintain faith:__ Eliezer finds it hard to keep faith when all the killing and cruelty is happening to him, but he realized that must always have faith and he will pull through.
 * Themes:**

__Cruel and inhumane treatment:__ this makes Eliezer realize the sickness in humanity and questions his faith in God, because of this. Personally, the book was very eye-opening to what actually happened during World War II. I think the reason for that is that Night was written by a survivor and he had actually seen majority of what was going on in concentration camps, such as babies being burned in the furnaces and brutal beatings taking place on several ocassions. He had also suffered some trauma itself with his gold tooth being ripped out and the emotional distress of his father dying. I think this story is very important in that we must never forget our history so it is never repeated. As cliche as it may sound, it is very true.
 * Critique:**


 * DId the world learn from Auschwitz? **