1. Motifs, Themes, and Symbols
NIGHT
Motifs, Themes,
and Symbols

2. Eliezer’s Struggle to Maintain Faith in a Benevolent God
Theme #1
Eliezer’s Struggle to Maintain Faith in a Benevolent God
Eliezer’s struggle with his faith is a dominant conflict in Night. At the beginning of the work, his faith in God is absolute. When asked why he prays to God, he answers, “Why did I pray? Why did I live? Why did I breathe?” His belief in an omnipotent, benevolent God is unconditional, and he cannot imagine living without faith in a divine power. But this faith is shaken by his experience during the Holocaust.

3. Theme #2
Silence
In one of Night’s most famous passages, Eliezer states, “Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live.” It is the idea of God’s silence that he finds most troubling, as this description of an event at Buna reveals: as the Gestapo hangs a young boy, a man asks, “Where is God?” yet the only response is “[t]otal silence throughout the camp.”

4. Inhumanity Toward Other Humans
Theme #3
Inhumanity Toward Other Humans
Eliezer’s spiritual struggle owes to his shaken faith not only in God but in everything around him. After experiencing such cruelty, Eliezer can no longer make sense of his world. His disillusionment results from his painful experience with Nazi persecution, but also from the cruelty he sees fellow prisoners inflict on each other

5. The Importance of Father-Son Bonds
Theme #4
The Importance of Father-Son Bonds
Eliezer is disgusted with the horrific selfishness he sees around him, especially when it involves the rupture of familial bonds. On three occasions, he mentions sons horribly mistreating fathers: in his brief discussion of the pipel who abused his father; his terrible conclusion about the motives of Rabbi Eliahou’s son; and his narration of the fight for food that he witnesses on the train to Buchenwald, in which a son beats his father to death. All of these moments of cruelty are provoked by the conditions the prisoners are forced to endure. In order to save themselves, these sons sacrifice their fathers.

6. Theme Activity
Based on the reading, select a character, a place , or an object.
Determine how that character, place, or object is essential to the theme of the novel.

7. 1 and 2. Elie
3. Elie’s Dad
4. and 5. Auschiwitz
6. Birkenau
7. The train to the concentration camp
8. Jeleniek
9. night

8. Symbol Activity
1. Choose a well known religious, national, or cultural symbol
2. Write 2-3 sentences analyzing its meaning.
Include the standard meaning along with a personal interpretation and a personal interpretation from someone else.

9. Partner Activity
Identify 2 symbols used in the novel. Explain what each symbol may represent.

10. In your own words, define symbolism.
Symbols
In your own words, define symbolism.

11. Symbols
Fire
Fire appears throughout Night as a symbol of the Nazis’ cruel power. On the way to Auschwitz-Birkenau, Madame Schächter receives a vision of fire that serves as a premonition of the horror to come. Eliezer also sees the Nazis burning babies in a ditch. Most important, fire is the agent of destruction in the crematoria, where many meet their death at the hands of the Nazis. .

12. Symbols
Night
Night always occurs when suffering is worst, and its presence reflects Eliezer’s belief that he lives in a world without God. The first time Eliezer mentions that “[n]ight fell” is when his father is interrupted while telling stories and informed about the deportation of Jews. Similarly, it is night when Eliezer first arrives at Birkenau/Auschwitz, and it is night—specifically “pitch darkness”—when the prisoners begin their horrible run from Buna.

13. Symbolism In Literature
Why do authors use symbolism?

14. Your Turn…
Identify other symbols in novel (pages 85-97) and analyze how each could be symbols. (You should be able to identify at least three)
Make a three-column chart.
In the left column, write down the symbol.
In the middle column, write what it may symbolize.
In the right column, create a visual for the symbol.

15. Motif
Repetition of a meaningful element in a work, such as references to sight, vision

16. Motif
Night – pay attention to what happens at night and what that might symbolize. Remember what we learned when we talked about what night might symbolize.

17. Motif
Bearing Witness – Pay attention to which characters are witnesses and to what they bear witness

18. Motif
Father-son Relationships – Pay attention to how Elie and his father’s relationship develops; in addition, notice other father- son relationships in the book.

19. Motif
Loss of faith – Notice how Elie’s faith in God changes as the book progresses.

20. Motif
Voice vs. Silence – Who has a voice and who chooses to remain silent? Why might Elie Wiesel title his novel what he did originally, and why did he no longer remain silent?

21. Motif
Night and the imagery associated with it recur throughout the story
“Night. No one prayed, so that the night would pass quickly.” p.30
It is only at Night that Madame Schäcter cries out
The train ride to Auschwitz is “An endless night.” p.35

22. Motif
In your groups, identify an example of your group’s motif. You should have at least 5.
Explain how your example demonstrates/ supports Wiesel’s use of the motif.

23. Honors Select one of the symbols mentioned during this PowerPoint
Write a literary symbol analysis.
It should include the following:
A topic sentence that names the literary work and the symbol.
Possible interpretations for the symbol.
The symbol's effect on the work as a whole.
The author's purpose in using the symbol.
Include page(s) where the symbol is referenced.

24. Compare the IT article (clip) to the research that you conducted based for your History of Genocide project
You should have at least three comparisons/ differences

25. History of Genocide
As a group, you will evaluate your class mates’ projects.
You will create three reading comprehension questions based on their projects
You will leave 1 positive message about their project