Reader Response 3

After finishing Night by Elie Weisel, I feel that the treatment of the Jews, and the violence and brutality was just so reoccuring and common that it started to effect me as a reader.  When I first was presented with the death and viscious killings, such as the cremations, I was definitely taken back and uncomfortable while reading about the Jewish murders.  However, as I continued to get deeper and deeper into the story, the deaths were just so numerous and freqeunt I almost became immune to any feelings toward them.  Weisel  describes a certain "numbness" toward feelings and deaths in the beginning of the story, which the Jews had felt after experiencing so much and I personally felt this too as a reader.  The last death certainly didn't effect me as much as the first because I was use to the same dreary scenerio.  This feeling reminds me of the text, Into Thin Air by John Krakauer, when Krakauer describes how he is shaken by the first dead body he sees on his expedition up Everest, but by the second dead body, death doesn't really effect him.  It's as if Weisel, Krakauer, and readers shut out the deaths because they don't want to experience those emotions or they just are use to them. 

Also, the text touches upon the relationships between family and friends in devastating and testing situations.  On one hand, Elie says how his father is the only thing that keeps him going and they help each other through.  I definitely think that if I were in a situation such as the concentration camps, I would want company with me.  However, Weisel does tell how in his situation the Jews were better off alone at times, everyman for himself.  Rabbi Eliahu is a friend of Weisel's father who comes looking for his son, Weisel says, "He had already gone through the door when I remembered that I had noticed his son running beside me...But then I remembered something else: his son had seen him losing ground...And he had continued to run in front, letting the distance between them become greater," (91).  This is one of the scenarios that really challenges the relationship between family and in this case the Rabbi's son  leaves him to fend for himself.  It really challenges my view of family because I feel that you should always look out for your loved ones and I think I would stay with my family no matter what.  The son and the Rabbi have gone through so much together already and the son basically leaves him to die.  Wouldn't the son want that company going further?  I feel that the son is so fortunate to be able to stay with his father this far through the journey, yet he just gives up on staying together.  The same idea of leaving your loved ones behind comes up again with Elie and his father.  The Blockalteste says to Elie, "Listen to me, kid.  Don't forget that you are in a concentration camp.  In this place, it is every man for himself, and you cannot think of others...In this place there is no such thing as father, brother, friend," (110).  This passage really captures my attention because it poses such an internal conflict for Elie.  He feels guilty for even considering leaving his father while he is ill, however by giving his father rations of his food and his energy, he is weakening himself.  I feel differently toward Elie then I do toward Rabbi Eliahu's son because Elie's father is beyond helping at this point and Rabbi Eliahu could have been helped.  I can't imagine having to give up on my own family member, but I do see the Blockalteste's point, Weisel was only hurting himself by trying to save his father who was beyond saving.  It does show how sometimes in certain situations you need to have your own best interest in mind, however I do believe you should do whatever you can to help your loved ones until it is too late.  Overall this novel has touched upon the impact humans can have and death and it has also challenged some of my views of the world.