Night - Elie Wiesel

“I’ve been summoned to an extraordinary meeting of the council. Something must have happened.”

The good story he had been in the middle of telling us was to remain unfinished.

“I’m going there,” he went on. “I shall be back as soon as I can. I’ll tell you all about it. Wait for me.”

We were prepared to wait for some hours. The backyard became like the hall outside an operating room. (10)

In the paragraphs above, Elie Wiesel uses a simile that suggests -

• Elie’s father is an accomplished storyteller.

• Elie’s father is a prominent community member.

• Many people are nervously pacing in the backyard for news.

• Many people are expecting Elie’s father to return with good news.

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In the beginning of the book, how does Elie differ from his father?

• Elie is spiritual while his father is practical.

• Elie is social while his father is unfriendly.

• Elie is religious while his father is pious.

• Elie is sensible while his father is scholarly.

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Which line from the selection provides the best evidence that the Jews of Sighet are optimistic despite Hitler’s plan of extermination?

• Then one day they expelled all the foreign Jews for Sighet.

• At that time is was still possible to obtain emigration permits for Palestine.

• The Germans were already in the town, the Fascists were already in power, the verdict had already been pronounced, yet the Jews of Sighet continued to smile.

• We were no longer allowed to go into restaurants or cafes, to travel on the railway, to attend synagogue, to go out into the street after six o’clock.

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Read the following Excerpt from the novel Night:

I looked at our house, where I had spent so many years in my search for God; in fasting in order to hasten the coming of the Messiah; in imagining what my life would be like. Yet I felt little sorrow. I thought of nothing. (15)

What does the quotation suggest about the religious conflict facing Elie at the moment?

• God is always there, and Elie has not lost his faith.

• Elie is uncertain of God’s role in his life moving forward.

• The eyes of God are always upon him and that makes him nervous.

• He is fighting what he perceives to be Satan.

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Read the following excerpt from the novel Night:

“Fire! I can see a fire! I can see a fire!” (19)

The author uses foreshadowing in the excerpt above to suggest that -

• everything will work out for the best.

• Elie is burning with anger and horror over what is to come.

• the fire will play a significant role in the destruction of the Jews.

• in the concentration camp the Jews will succumb to the temptations of Hell.

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Read the following excerpt from the novel Night:

The synagogue was like a huge station: luggage and tears. The altar was broken, the hangings torn down, the walls bare. There were so many of us that we could scarcely breathe. We spent a horrible twenty-four hours there…Since no one could get out, people were relieving themselves in a corner. (17)

From this description of the synagogue, the reader can infer that -

• Elie ceased to see the value in being Jewish.

• The Nazis are attempting to shame and dehumanize the Jews.

• The Nazis are attempting to destroy the Jewish faith.

• Elie’s idea of God has changed from devout to atheistic which leads to his loss of faith.

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Which line from the novel best foreshadows the motif of faith?

• Then he understood. (12)

• Household treasures, valuable carpets, silver candelabra, prayer books, Bibles, and other religious articles littered the ground beneath a wonderful blue sky; pathetic objects which looked as though they had never belonged to anyone. (12)

• The Jewish police from the ghetto were able to go and fill a few jugs secretly. Since my sisters and I were destined for the last convoy and we were able to still move about, we helped them as well as we could. (13)

• There was joy-yes, joy! (13)

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I did not fast, mainly to please my father, who had forbidden me to do so. But further, there was no longer any reason why I should fast. I no longer accepted God’s silence. As I swallowed my bowl of soup, I saw in the gesture an act of rebellion and protest against Him. And I nibbled my crust of bread. In the depths of my heart, I felt a great void. (51)

This quote can best be interpreted as a symbol of Elie’s -

• self-preservation

• questioning/doubting faith

• hunger

• control through dehumanization

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After Elie’s doctor operated on his foot, Elie said, they put me in a bed with white sheets. I had forgotten that people slept in sheets. (57)

The author includes this information in order to -

• illustrate the unsanitary conditions of the hospital.

• show the generosity of the Nazis.

• emphasize the systematic dehumanization of the Jews.

• show that Elie cannot remember things clearly.

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You must never lose faith, even when the sword hangs over your head… (23)

The quotation above suggests that the selection explores the thematic idea of -

• dehumanization

• optimism

• silence

• hopelessness

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