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Night , by Elie Wiesel

Themes and Symbols. Night , by Elie Wiesel. Assignment. For each chapter in Night , write down a direct quote that supports each Theme. For each chapter, write down a direct quote that uses one of the Symbols , and explain what the symbol represents.

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Night , by Elie Wiesel

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  1. Themes and Symbols Night, by Elie Wiesel

  2. Assignment • For each chapter in Night, write down a direct quote that supports each Theme. • For each chapter, write down a direct quote that uses one of the Symbols, and explain what the symbol represents • Organize your examples by chapter and write them in a notebook you can hand in at the end of the semester (50 points)

  3. Theme: A Crisis of Faith • periods of intense doubt and internal conflict about one's religious beliefs. • A crisis of faith demands reconciliation or reevaluation before one can continue believing • the crisis requires a harsh decision: either understand how the cause of doubt fits into the belief, or drop the belief. • What to Look For: Examples of people questioning their beliefs, doubting the existence of God, or being unable to understand how such things could happen.

  4. Theme: Inhumanity Toward Others • Although we would like to believe that, in the face of a crisis, we would be brave and kind, the opposite is often true • When people divide themselves into “us and them” it becomes easy to be cruel to “them” • What to Look For: • Examples of people exhibiting casual cruelty to others who are “different” • Examples of victims turning against each other

  5. Theme: Silence • The Holocaust continued as long as it did partially due to the silence or lack of intervention of other individuals or nations • Often, prisoners remained silent during the torture or murder of other prisoners • Many Jews felt that God remained silent and allowed the atrocities to continue • What to Look For: Examples of Wiesel or others struggling with their own or others’ unwillingness to speak up or intervene, as well as their reasons for doing so.

  6. Theme: The Father-Son Bond • The Nazis’ goal was to destroy Jewish culture completely, starting with the destruction of family bonds • The ability or inability to maintain a family bond is symbolic of the strength of the culture • What to Look For: • Examples of Wiesel’s description of his own relationship with his father. • Examples of the family bond breaking down or remaining strong

  7. Symbols • Night • Fire • Corpses & Death • What to Look For: Examples where these things represent a larger idea.

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