Literary Elements in Night

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Literary Elements in Night
Amanda C. Kristyn H. Branden G. Robert R.
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Elie Wiesel's tone throughout Night is somber and
unapologetic.
A prolonged whistle split the air. The wheels
began to grind. We were on our way. (ch. 1, pg.
20)?
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In some passages, the tone is conflicted. In this
excerpt, the tone is very conflicted on one
hand, the author feels ashamed for his feelings
toward his father, but on another, the author's
instinct urges him to leave his ailing father
behind.
I went to look for him. But at the same moment
this thought came into my mind Don't let me
find him! If only I could get rid of this dead
weight, so that I could use all my streength to
struggle for my own survival, and only worry
about myself. Immediately I felt ashamed of
myself, ashamed forever. (ch. 8, pg. 111)?
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In one of the final passages of the book, the
tone is vacant and detached. He is empty now, and
nothing seems to matter or be able to hurt him
anymore. The author states this very
matter-of-factly.
After my father's death, nothing could touch me
anymore. (ch. 9, pg. 117)?
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Symbolism is seen throughout Night. One of the
first symbols we see is the yellow Star of David.
Though Elie's father tried to dismiss the new
rule forcing the Jews to wear the star as
unimportant, the star was a symbol of the Jewish
religion and of the segregation imposed by the
Nazis.
The yellow star? Oh well, what of it? You don't
die of it... (ch. 1, pg. 9)?
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Another symbol toward the end of the novel is
Elie's friend Juliek playing Beethoven on his
smuggled violin. Juliek's last concert symbolizes
his life, his love for music, and his acceptance
of death in the face of terrible suffering. It is
also a beautiful sound in the midst of so much
pain, symbolizing hope.
How could I forget that concert, given to an
audience of dying and dead men! (ch. 6, pg. 91)?
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The title of the book is the most important
symbol of all. Night symbolizes the dark side of
human nature, the loneliness and the emptiness
faced by the victims of the Holocaust. It also
represents Elie's dying faith. The most famous
passage in this book shows the enormity of this
symbol to Elie.
Never shall I forget that night, the first night
in camp, which turned my life into one long
night, seven times cursed and seven times
sealed... (ch. 3, pg. 32)?
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Elie Wiesel uses several metaphors and similes in
Night to create effective imagery.
The world was a cattle wagon, hermetically
sealed. (ch. 2, pg. 22)?
This metaphor compares the entire world to a
sealed car. Because the world he knows, his
family, is trapped in this space together, he
considers the whole world being sealed in their
crowded train car.
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I was a body. Less than that, even a starved
stomach. The stomach alone was aware of the
passage of time. (ch. 4, pg. 52)?
With this metaphor, Elie compares himself to a
starved stomach. He is describing how hungry he
is. Nothing seems important anymore except basic
elements of survival.
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Elie Wiesel uses several literary elements in
Night. He uses symbols to create deeper meanings.
He uses similes and metaphors to create clear
images and descriptions. Throughout the novel, he
uses subtle changes in tone to show his attitude
toward the subject and his audience.
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