Wiesel's "Night" is a short, chilling memoir of his survival in the Aushwitz concentration camp for Jews during World War Two. It is written in prose-like form, possibly representing the thought process--too much thinking may depress you, or wear you down, or possibly the need for food and rest is so great, your mind does little more than think in small sentences.
I have read my share of WWII novels, bio/autobiographies, and memoirs, but I discovered some shocking new things about people in these camps that I had not read about before.
First off, the absolute need for survival, above ALL else, including deserting friends or family members to save your own skin. One Holocaust survior said, "The truly good people never survived those camps. They were ones who gave their last piece of bread to a family member, and died for it. We who survived, survived because we tactfully kept ourselves alive, even at the expense of others." I was shocked to read this. Finally, someone wasn't heroic. I had felt guilty my whole life, knowing I wouldn't want to die and do what was neccessary to live, even though, directly or indirectly, I could've risked someone else's. Now the truth comes out. There is a part of the book where a man strangles his dad for a piece of bread. In the father's dying breath he says, "I saved some for you too! We can both eat!" But the son takes it all for himself. How truly awful.
Another truth that amazed me; the Jews fought back, in the camps. No one ever spoke of resistance groups inside the camps, but in this particular story, it's actually what liberated them before the Americans came to the rescue. They also fought back in horrible ways, such as, after liberated, the men of Aushwitz went to a nearby town and raped German women in revenge. The ugliness in people was brought out in these horrible circumstances.
This book was riveting, horrifying, and devasting. It is not for the faint at heart, and not for those who'd like to think that all the Holocaust was about Jews being victims. They were victims of a horrible crime against humanity, but they also, because of their awful circumstances, were not perfect. This man sheds light on the realities of survival and despair. God bless those who went through such a horrendous time, they are amazing.
