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The Meaning Of Night In Night By Elie Wiesel

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In the memoir Night, by Elie Wiesel, the word night is repeatedly used as a metaphor symbolizing the conditions and emotions that the Jews struggle with during the Holocaust. Elie’s personal struggle with his experience evoke connotations of darkness that describe the inhumane treatment that Elie and the Jews are forced to endure throughout the memoir. In the beginning, Elie's town is invaded by German soldiers and soon, the Germans force all of the town's Jews to evacuate. After being thrown onto a freight train to Auschwitz, Elie experiences a whole new world filled with fear and hatred. Elie uses “night” to describe the struggles and hardships that he encounters throughout his experience. The literal meaning of the word night is simply the period of darkness everyday between sunset and sunrise. However, the metaphorical meaning of night, in this memoir, is far more sinister. As depicted in Night, the title metaphorically refers to the evil, hopelessness, and emotional coldness that the Jews are constantly forced to face throughout the Holocaust.
The constant evil that the Jews witness is capable of destroying their mentality, which is why the acts of evil that the Nazis bestow upon the Jews is one of the many connotations of night. In their minds, the Nazis have dehumanized the Jews making it easier for them to torture and kill them. The SS guards call them “filthy dogs” and treat them like animals. They publicly hang people, including children, and make everyone watch

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