Introduction to Night By: Elie Wiesel
Historical Context Night tells the true story of the author’s experience in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust.
Historical Context—Holocaust 6 million Jewish men, women, and children killed by Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime. An additional 5 million non-Jewish victims were killed Total: at least 11 million people killed by the Nazis from 1941-1945.
About the Author—Elie Wiesel Born September 30, 1928 in Sighet, Romania. Grew up in a small village where his life revolved around the following: Family Religious Study Community God
About the Author In 1944, when Elie was 15, he was deported to Auschwitz. They were sent to be slave laborers. His mother and youngest sister were sent to another camp (possibly to the gas chambers).
About the Author Elie and his father survived first Auschwitz and then the Buna labor camp for eight months. They endured beatings, excessive work, starvation, and other torture.
About the Author In the winter 1944-45, Wiesel’s right knee swelled up and a doctor performed surgery on it. Two days later, the inmates were forced to go on a death march. For ten days they were forced to run, then crammed into freight cars, and sent to Buchenwald.
About the Author Of the 20,000 prisoners who left Buna, only 6,000 survived. When they arrived to Buchenwald, many prisoners died of dysentary, starvation, and exhaustion.
About the Author At the end of the war, April 6, 1945, the prisoners were told they would no longer be fed. The Nazis began evacuating the camp, killing 10,000 prisoners a day.
About the Author After he was freed from the camp on April 11, Wiesel wrote an outline for a book describing the Holocaust. He wasn’t ready to publicize his experience, but promised he would in ten years.
The Novel Night was published first in France in 1958 and then in the U.S. in 1960. The book is autobiographical and told of his experiences during the Holocaust. It also is his personal account of his loss of religious faith.
Quotes to Remember “I write to understand as much as to be understood.” “No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them.” “The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.”
Exit Slip 2 things you learned from the slide show 1 question you still have.