The book Night by Elie Wiesel is a powerful and horrifying story about the Holocaust. It gave me every detail of what Jews suffered in concentration camps and I was outraged by the treatment of the Jews. For example, there was one scene where Elie watched people going into the crematory and he couldn’t stand the sight of it. The Jews went through an astonishing amount of pain and suffering; I couldn’t bear to think it actually happened. Although I had complete empathy for these people, I knew while reading the story that I would never experience what Elie Wiesel witnessed. After reading this story, I feel guilty at having a luxuriant life full of love and care.

One part in the story that stood out to me is when the little boy was hanged. It was despairing because after the stool tipped, he struggled to live. They story mentioned that his body was too light for him to die immediately. He was innocent and it made me furious that he was hanged! None of the Jews deserved that treatment. Also, in the beginning of the story, when the Jews still lived in their homes there was another group of Jews taken away. One of those Jews returned and warned everybody about the gruesome action that was occurring around the Jews. What I found heartbreaking was that nobody believed him. The tragedy is that is warning was so unbelievable that they only hoped it wasn’t true. After, the man returned with a face that was gloomy and ruined. “No longer joy in his eyes.”

This story was appalling on such an extreme level that I couldn’t imagine real people experienced this treatment. The story was so surreal it seemed to be fiction. I don’t understand how such cruelty even existed in mankind. Every sentence I read took my breath away, for this story is so awful word cannot explain my feelings. In a way, The Diary of Anne Frank was similar to this story. It added a lot to both stories when the point of view was from someone who witnessed the pain. But The Diary of Anne Frank was more peaceful because those Jews were safe in hiding throughout the story. Elie Wiesel’s story brings you directly into the lives these people had in concentration camps and how torturous their pain was. The people in the camps gave up on God. Most of the Jews in the camps gave up on life and most of them knew the horror of their fate.

I think the title Night suits the story because it is always explaining how dark and dim the life in camps are. There is no brightness in the camp life, no happiness, just blackness. Elie explains how even when it is day, it feels as if it is night. Also, I noticed how the nighttime seems to be the turning point. The Jews last night at home, last night at Buchenwald, and last night in the camps. I consider this is a reasonable title and it distinguishes the book well.

Although every event in this story is essential, I noticed three vital parts in the story. The first major part was when the German soldiers invaded the town of Sighet. This was the beginning of the horror. It resembled how quickly lives can change because at first they were living a normal, human life, and then suddenly their lives became unimaginably horrible. I felt empathy for Elie and his family throughout this event. The next crucial scene was when the young boy was hanged. In my mind this was the most depressing thing that happened in the story. It was miserable because the boy was young and when he was hanged Elie described the look in his face. He had life in him, but he was on the verge of dying. I almost couldn’t bear to read this. The last important event was when Elie’s father died. This made me tremendously unhappy because Elie and his father were linked in such a powerful way and they had gone through all the torture together. Now Elie was alone.

Overall, this story was an important book. It brings back the shocking truth of that time, and reminds us that torture like this can never happen again. Although I couldn’t bare the brutality of the story I am glad to have the knowledge of what occurred during this event, to know the thoughts and actions of people who went through it. It matures my vision toward the world and humanity. The story was interesting because Elie Wiesel included so much detail of his life in the camp. I think it would be fascinating to meet Elie Wiesel because of what he has experienced. I am speechless at the thought of people living through that torture because each person is entirely innocent. After reading this story I cherish my life even more.