Section 3 Introduction to Birkenau/ Auschwitz NIGHT Section 3 Introduction to Birkenau/ Auschwitz

POINT OF VIEW Wiesel’s chilling first person point of view results in powerful emotions. He shows us only what Eliezer sees and thinks at a given moment. This limited perspective and lack of knowledge make the story all the more terrifying. We as the readers are always with Eliezer, caught up in the tension and horror of his personal experience.

LOSS OF FAITH Eliezer’s loss of faith in God begins at Auschwitz. When he first sees the furnace pits in which the Nazis are burning babies, he experiences the beginnings of doubt. This later shows a contrast between Eliezer’s faith and the continued faith of other devout prisoners such as Akiba Drumer, whose strong beliefs raise the prisoners’ spirits.

LOSS OF HUMANITY In this section, we also see Eliezer beginning to doubt his own humanity and his loss of faith in man.

Example When the Gypsy inmate beats his father, Eliezer is surprised at himself for how he reacts. Only the day before, he tells himself, he would have attacked the Gypsy; now, however, he remains silent, and feels guilty about it.

Fear of Silence is very important in this memoir Fear of Silence is very important in this memoir. Wiesel could be asking the following question: if there is silence in the face of evil, then could that silence allow evil to survive?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TITLE This section contains one of the most famous paragraphs from the memoir. It is the first time that Eliezer interrupts his narration to reminisce about the ways that the Holocaust continued to affect his life after it ended.

The repetition of the phrase “Never shall I forget” shows how Eliezer’s experiences are forever burned into his mind.

This phrase also shows how Wiesel understands the importance of remembering the horrible events of the Holocaust. He has the job of bringing these events to light so that nothing like that can ever happen again.