Examples Of Dehumanization In Night By Elie Wiesel

In this work, Night by Elie Wiesel, the author expresses that restricting basic needs and one’s individuality, leads way to dehumanization, in which deconstructs a culture. As Elie’s struggle slowly comes to an end, he analyzes his experience living in concentration camps and the loss of his character, which is emphasized toward the end of the memoir.

While beginning to adjust to the environment and the camp itself, Elie is approached by a hostile gentleman wanting to have his gold crown because of its value. This instance is shown when it says, “If you don't give me your crown, it will cost you much more!"(Wiesel 55). Due to the fact that the camps had given the prisoners, small rations of food, and stripped them of their valuable items, the crown's value had increased. The crown symbolizes something to be used to escape from their actuality, while the things that were of higher value were confiscated. During this occurrence, Elie did not want the man to take away this part of him, yet, the man proceeded to use a worn, rusty spoon to remove his crown, symbolizing the loss of individuality. This

He sought to quickly escape the responsibility of someone other than himself. During this circumstance, to be responsible for someone else during an experience like so, meant that the other person's survival relied on one's own, due to the reversed roles between parents and children. This will to escape responsibility it expressed when it says, "But then I remembered something else: his son had seen him losing ground, sliding back to the rear of the column. He had seen him. And he had continued to run in front, letting the distance between them become greater"(Wiesel 91). The rabbi had began to grow weak and to take advantage of the moment, his son had removed himself from the responsibility of guiding his father through the