Night Characters
The main characters in Night include Eliezer Wiesel, Chlomo Wiesel, Moshe the Beadle, and Juliek.
- Eliezer “Elie” Wiesel is a Jewish man who recounts his experience in the Nazi concentration camps during World War II.
- Shlomo Wiesel is Elie’s father, who tries to protect his son in the camps.
- Moishe the Beadle is Elie’s kind tutor, who indulges Elie’s interest in Hasidic Judaism.
- Juliek is a gifted violinist and a fellow inmate of Elie’s in Auschwitz.
Characters
Eliezer Wiesel
Through Eliezer’s perspective, a young Jewish boy struggling to survive in a concentration camp during World War II. Once a devout teenager, Eliezer gradually loses faith and family, witnessing unbearable horrors, including the hanging of a young child. Despite the brutality around him, he remains committed to his father, even as survival becomes his sole focus after his father's death shortly before liberation. Full Elie Analysis
Shlomo Wiesel
Eliezer’s father, a respected man in Sighet, is devoted to the welfare of his community but rarely shows his emotions. Throughout their imprisonment, he and Eliezer struggle to stay together, with Shlomo even entrusting Eliezer with his last possessions—a knife and a spoon—when he fears he may not survive. Despite severe hardships, Eliezer remains devoted, ultimately losing his father to illness. Full Shlomo Analysis
Moishe the Beadle
Moishe the Beadle, who is “the poorest of the poor of Sighet,” serves as a religious mentor for young Eliezer, and he encourages Eliezer to consider matters of faith. As a foreign Jew, he is among the first to be deported but escapes and returns to Sighet to warn others of the horrors he has witnessed. After his return, Moishe no longer speaks of God, and his demeanor is completely changed. Unfortunately, people dismiss him, claiming that he only seeks pity or that he imagined the experience. People of Sighet resume their typical lives, and Moishe eventually falls silent, knowing what awaits. Full Moishe Analysis
Juliek
At Buna, Eliezer meets Juliek, a musician. Later, after they are marched to Gleiwitz, the two are both nearly crushed. Somehow, Juliek disentangles himself from the pile of bodies and also manages to save his beloved violin. Eliezer hears Juliek playing a Beethoven concerto with his “whole being,” cradling the damaged instrument as if it houses his “extinguished future.” The next morning, Eliezer finds Juliek dead, his trampled violin laying beside him. Full Juliek Analysis
Mrs. Schächter
Mrs. Schächter is trapped inside the cattle car that carries Eliezer and his family away from their home and toward the concentration camps. She is in her fifties and travels with her ten-year-old son; she is typically a quiet woman and has frequently visited Eliezer’s home. Inside the car, Mrs. Schächter desperately misses her family and eventually becomes hysterical. She begins screaming about a fire that no one else can see, crying out that they are all fated to meet it. Her words understandably agitate the already-tense passengers, and as her visions of fire continue, they eventually beat the delusional woman into submission, finally quieting her. However, when they reach Birkenau, the ominous presence of the crematorium and the pervasive smell of burning flesh proves that Mrs. Schächter’s visions were prophetic.
Akiba Drumer
Early in their imprisonment, Akiba Drumer is a source of encouragement to others, reminding them that God is “testing” them and His “punishment” is actually a sign of love, as through their suffering, he is killing the evil that resides within each of them. After enduring long hardships, Akiba loses his faith and tells the others that he can no longer endure the cruelty of the SS. With hollow eyes, he gives up the constant battle and does not survive the next selection.
The Young French Woman
When Eliezer is imprisoned at Buna, he is assigned to work in a warehouse beside a young French woman whom Eliezer believes could be Jewish. Because she speaks only French, Eliezer is unable to communicate with her. However, after he is severely beaten at work one day, the woman brings him a bit of bread and wipes blood from his forehead, whispering encouragement to him in near-perfect German. Years later, Eliezer runs into this woman in Paris, and she explains that she risked exposing her true identity to him because she knew he was trustworthy.
Dr. Mengele
Dr. Josef Mengele was a notorious physician known for his cruel experiments on those imprisoned in concentration camps. His awful experiments were based on the unscientific maxims of Nazi racial theory; many people died as a result of these experiments. Eliezer meets Dr. Mengele when he first arrives at Auschwitz; he lies about his age and claims that he is a farmer in order to improve his odds of survival. His answers fool the doctor, and Eliezer thus passes his first inspection.
Hilda and Bea
Hilda and Bea are Eliezer’s two older sisters. They are mentioned in the opening chapters, then never mentioned again following their separation upon arrival at the concentration camps; their absence in the narrative is a somber homage to the tragic reality of their deaths in the camp.
Tzipora
Tzipora is Eliezer’s younger sister. As he is separated from his mother and sisters, Eliezer watches his mother stroking Tzipora’s blond hair “as if to protect her.” During this touching moment that has imprinted itself into his memory, Eliezer doesn’t realize that this is the final time he will ever see them.
Expert Q&A
How is Idek described in Elie Wiesel's Night?
Idek, a Kapo in charge of supervising the electrical warehouse in Buna, is described as a brutal and callous man in Elie Wiesel's Night. He is notorious for his violent temper, frequently beating Elie and his father without reason. Idek is also depicted as selfish and lustful, moving prisoners for personal desires. When Elie catches him with a Polish girl, Idek vengefully whips him, showcasing his cruelty and vindictiveness.
Describe the character of Mrs. Schachter in Night.
In Night, Mrs. Schächter is a middle-aged Jewish woman who becomes mentally unstable after being separated from her husband and older sons. On the train to Auschwitz, she has visions of fire, which the other passengers dismiss as madness. Her prophetic cries foreshadow the horrors of the concentration camp. Her character symbolizes the trauma and dehumanization experienced by Jewish families during the Holocaust.
Compare the character of Mrs. Schachter in Night to the Greek mythological figure, Cassandra.
Mrs. Schachter in Night is like Cassandra because she tries to warn people about the fires, but no one listens. She becomes hysterical on the train, screaming about flames, which foreshadows the crematories at Auschwitz. Similarly, Cassandra in Greek mythology was cursed to have her prophecies ignored. Both characters' warnings about impending doom go unheeded, leading to tragic consequences.
Who are the characters that died in Night?
Among the many people who die in Night are Eliezer’s mother, his little sister, and his father. Countless other people die as well, and the vast majority of them are unnamed. Eliezer marks these deaths in the book by recording images of the myriad corpses and large flames from bodies being cremated.
Who is Martha in the book "Night"?
In "Night," Martha is the Wiesel family's former Christian servant who offers them a chance to escape the ghetto and hide in her village when the Nazis force Jews into ghettos in Sighet. Despite her pleas, Elie's father refuses to leave, leading to their deportation to Auschwitz. Martha's offer highlights the theme of futile human freedom during the Holocaust, as their decision to stay ultimately results in tragic consequences.
How would you describe Bea from Wiesel's Night?
Bea, Elie Wiesel's sister in Night, is minimally described. Wiesel mentions her as his second eldest sibling who helped in their family store. The memoir focuses on Elie's experiences in the Holocaust, primarily with his father, and does not detail Bea's experiences because they were separated upon arrival at the camps. Bea survived the Holocaust, as did her sister Hilda, and both were reunited with Elie after the war.
How does Wiesel develop characters directly and indirectly in the first four chapters of Night?
Who is the most prejudiced character in Night by Elie Wiesel?
In Elie Wiesel's Night, Dr. Mengele is arguably the most prejudiced character. As an SS officer and physician at Auschwitz, he is notorious for sending many Jews to their deaths and conducting inhumane experiments on prisoners, all without remorse. The book describes him performing his duties with a smile, treating the selection process as if it were a game, reflecting his deep-seated prejudice and lack of empathy.
Comparing and contrasting the roles and thematic significance of Moishe the Beadle and Madame Schachter in Night
Moishe the Beadle and Madame Schachter serve as harbingers of the Holocaust's horrors in Night. Moishe warns the Jews of Sighet about the Nazis' atrocities, but they dismiss him. Similarly, Madame Schachter's visions of fire foreshadow the crematoria, but she is seen as insane. Both characters highlight themes of ignored warnings and the community's initial denial of impending doom.
Elie's Father in Night
In Elie Wiesel's Night, Elie's father, Shlomo, is a respected businessman who owns a grocery store and is known for his unsentimental nature and community involvement. Shlomo represents both hope and a burden to Elie, as his father's weakening state parallels Elie's struggle with his Jewish identity and survival. Elie's efforts to keep his father alive reflect his own battle to maintain hope amidst despair, but after Shlomo's death, Elie loses his will to live.
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