Night by Elie Wiesel (Option III)

The Holocaust was the cause of death of over 4.1-6.0 million Jews and 5-6 million non-Jews (McFee) in only about 7 years time. The years that the Holocaust took place were from 1939-1945 (McCarthy). There were several different causes of death during this time. Many babies were thrown in the air and shot while older persons has to stand in front of a pit before they were shot and fell backwards into their grave (Wiesel 5). Other deaths were caused in concentration camps from gas chambers, crematories, and starvation (Schnabel). Some concentration camps only considered a person sick when their temperature reached above 104 degrees and even then, the sick were not properly taken care of and eventually died (Jacobson). Even though the Holocaust caused a great change in the population, it caused an ever greater change in the minds of its survivors. Although prisoners in concentration camps worked together and cared for each other in the beginning, by the end of the Holocaust it was a fatal fight for food and survival. This paper will analyze the term holocaust in relation to the events of the novel.

In the beginning, concentration camps were filled with prisoners that were trying to work together towards survival. Prisoners became like brothers to each other as they tried to endure the hardships and pain of life in concentration camps (Wiesel 31). Many prisoners spent their free time caring for the sick even when it caused them to get in trouble, lose their ration of food, or lose the few hours that they had of sleep (Jacobson). Some seemed to find their only hope and strength for life in the loved ones that still remained with them in the camps (Ten Boom 157).

To continue, many of those who were in concentration ...