Section 4 Summary
At Buna, Elie is sent to work sorting electrical fixtures. A pair of brothers, Yossi and Tibi, befriends him. They speak of Palestine, where Elie’s father refused to immigrate. Unlike him, they would take the first boat to Haifa if they could.
Elie is moved to the musicians’ block, headed by a German Jew. Life is a little easier for them. Elie is sent to the dentist to have his gold crown removed, but he pleads illness. The dentist lets him go, as long as he promises to return. Elie does so in a week. The dentist is so impressed that he came back of his own accord that he lets him go again. Not long after, the dentist is executed for taking some of the prisoners’ gold teeth for himself.
In the warehouse where he works, Elie is often accompanied by a French girl. Because they cannot speak each other’s language, they do not converse. One day one of the guards, Idek, beats Elie for no reason. The French girl wipes the blood away and gives him a piece of bread, speaking German to him. Many years later in Paris, Elie sees a beautiful young woman whom he recognizes as the French girl. He asks her if she was Jewish. She replies that she was, but she passed as an Aryan. The German words she spoke to him that day put her in danger, but she knew Elie wouldn’t give her away.
One day, when the prisoners are loading engines onto trains, Idek the guard begins to beat Elie’s father. Elie merely moves away to avoid being beaten himself. He reflects that this coldness toward the suffering of his own father was a part of what the concentration camp had made of him.
At another time, the foreman Franek demands that Elie give him his gold crown. Elie tells him that he cannot eat without it and refuses. He says he must ask his father’s advice first. Mr. Wiesel tells him that he must not give up his crown. Franek, however, knows how to torture Elie. Mr. Wiesel is not adept at marching, never having served in the military. Franek repeatedly beats him every time he missteps. Elie tries to teach his father to march, but eventually he gives in and lets Franek remove his crown. Later Franek was transferred with the rest of the Poles, so Elie lost his gold crown for nothing.
One Sunday, Elie catches Idek trying to rape a young Polish girl. Idek threatens him if he should tell anyone about it. Later, Idek calls Elie out from roll call, has him lie across a crate, and beats him.
An air raid is sounded on another Sunday. The prisoners hope that the camp is destroyed by the bombing Americans—even if it should mean that they are killed. Only one man is killed, a man who tried to reach the soup cauldron. A week later, one of the prisoners is hanged and displayed before the others. Elie is not bothered by it. However, when a boy servant is hanged with two others who had helped one of the guards stockpile arms, Elie is tormented by the sight of the boy taking a half hour to slowly strangle to death on the gallows. One of the prisoners asks, “Where is God now?” A voice within Elie answers, “Where is He? Here He is—He is hanging on this gallows.”
Expert Q&A
Describe the Kapos in chapters 4 and 5 of Night. How do Elie's block prisoners survive the New Year's selection?
In chapters 4 and 5 of Night, the Kapos are depicted as cruel overseers of the prisoners, with Idek being particularly brutal. Elie and his father worked in a warehouse sorting electrical parts, enduring beatings from Idek. To survive the New Year's selection, prisoners were advised to appear healthy and run vigorously. Elie ran intensely to pass the selection, while his father narrowly avoided elimination, allowing them to survive and eventually leave the camp.
In chapter 4 of Night, why do the Nazis allow music in the concentration camps?
The Nazis allow music in the concentration camps primarily as a tool for control and dehumanization. They force prisoners to sing and play music, often Nazi propaganda and military marches, to exhibit their power. Additionally, prisoners are forbidden from playing Beethoven, emphasizing their dehumanization. This usage of music parallels Psalm 137, where Jews in Babylonian captivity were similarly forced to perform music.
What were the objectives of the medical examinations in chapter 4 of Night?
The medical examinations in Chapter 4 aimed to assess prisoners' fitness for work and identify gold dental work. The medical inspection was superficial, with doctors simply asking about health, while the dental examination was thorough, focusing on finding gold crowns. The Nazis valued gold for its worth and extracted it for their benefit. This process highlights the dehumanization and exploitation experienced by prisoners, as seen when Elie’s gold crown becomes a symbol of survival and manipulation.
In Night Chapter 4, what were the medical examinations' objectives, and why couldn't Jewish musicians play Beethoven? Can you describe one of Idek's madness bouts, Elie's avoidance of losing his gold crown, and who he met on the Paris Metro years later?
The medical examinations aimed to identify unhealthy prisoners and locate gold dental crowns for extraction. Jewish musicians were forbidden from playing Beethoven as they were barred from German culture. Idek's madness is exemplified when he violently beat Elie. Elie avoided losing his gold crown by feigning illness. On the Paris Metro, he later met a French girl who comforted him during the camp. Elie eventually gave up his crown due to Franek's harassment of his father.
How do the prisoners view death in chapter 4 of Night by Elie Wiesel?
Eliezer's interests in Night by Elie Wiesel
In Night by Elie Wiesel, Eliezer is primarily interested in his Jewish faith and religious studies before the Holocaust disrupts his life. His deep devotion to studying the Talmud and Kabbalah showcases his initial spiritual aspirations and connection to his heritage, which undergoes a profound transformation due to his harrowing experiences in the concentration camps.
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