Night

Religious faith plays an important role in Night, from Eliezer’s devout childhood in Sighet to life in the concentration camps after the Jews are deported from Hungary. How does Eliezer’s relationship to God and his commitment to his faith change over the course of the narrative? What is the value of religious observance and faith for the imprisoned Jews, and how does their religion become a target of Nazi persecution and oppression?

Family ties, especially the bond between father and son, is a major theme of Wiesel’s memoir. How does the narrative emphasize the importance of this relationship? How are love and loyalty related to the will to survive and the instinct for self-preservation? Does the relationship of Eliezer and his father change over time at Buna, Gleiwitz, and Buchenwald? If so, how?

The narrative of Night relies on powerful symbols, such as night, fire, and silence, to convey the author’s meaning. What do these three symbols signify, and how does Wiesel develop those meanings throughout the course of the book?