Night By Elie Wiesel And The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho

World War II (WWII) was the most expensive and deadliest war recorded in history. During WWII millions of people were killed, tortured and starved to death. There were bombings that killed entire towns of people, concentration camps where the concept was work or die and many more atrocities. The books Night by Elie Wiesel and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, show different perspectives of the many tragedies and deaths during WWII.

So many survivors have a story to tell, so many people have a point to make, and many just want to understand the horror that when on during the holocaust. Elie Wiesel’s Night and Art Spiegelman’s Maus share many similarities and differences throughout the book such as plotline, family relationships, and author’s purpose. The plotline of both Maus and Night share similarities and differences.

Life is full of good and bad experiences, but you don’t always have control of what happens. That can be scary sometimes and it depends on how you handle it as to whether you get out of that situation. In the memoir Night written by Elie Wiesel, Eli, a teenager had been taken away from his home and taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Night is the scary record of Elie Wiesel’s memories of the death of his own family and the death of his own innocence as he tries to fight his way out of the concentration camp. Over the course of the book, Eli changes from a believer in God living in bearable conditions to someone who has become profane because of the situation he’s been put in.

The decisions you make in your life always come with a good or bad ending. In the novel “night” by elie wiesel, elie has to make life and death decisions. This novel is about how elie made decisions that lead him and his family to a concentration camp and explains the horrible things they have had to experience. In the end elie was the only survivor in his family. The decisions throughout the novel Elie made impacted his life and his innocence.

The Final Solution The Jewish question had been a topic that Hitler strived to find an answer to. He had a strong hate for Jews and wanted nothing but to vanish them from Germany. His answer to this question, the final solution, was a Nazi plan to exterminate all Jews. The book Night written by holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, the book Herman Goring: Hitler's Second-in-Command, written by Fred Ramen, and the journal article "Hitler's Role in the Final Solution", by Ian Kershaw, all provide an inside look on the final solution from both the oppressors and the oppressed.

Ever since humans came to be, they have done many things to ensure their survival. It’s the reason why we humans have evolved as much as we have. Humans have invented devices, accomplished many challenges, and have even relied on nothing but willpower to survive. When somebody survives a tragic event they are left with some terrifying memories that haunt them forever, but a few survivors are courageous enough to share their experience. Obviously, one of the shared experiences is the book called Night by Elie Wiesel.

In a situation where your body is surviving on a thread, your stomach is inflated due to starvation and all the strength you had before is gone, you have to rely on mental and religious strength to carry you through your hardships. In Elie Wiesel’s “Night”, Elie talks about his personal experiences and hardships he faced during WWII and his life at Auschwitz as a young boy. Throughout the story Elie pushes through losing his mother and sister, lashings, seeing babies burned alive and the fear of death but also the hope for it in some situations. No amount of physical strength can help someone survive in the brutal place Auschwitz. Everywhere in the story Elie and other characters show that with mental and religious/spiritual strength, you can push through any hardship you have to face.

It is estimated that 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel somehow managed to beat those odds. Sadly there was no one there to save Elie, the protagonist of Night, from the misery and distress that he would experience as he went through the Holocaust. He survived harsh beatings, sickness, hunger, thirst, dysentery, and all the other forms of death that plagued his environment. All this would not come without a toll on who Elie was as a character, causing him to undergo a dynamic change.

A personal legend is not just the result found at the end of Santiago's life. It’s more than simply reaching final destination. Santiago personal legend is achieved when he completes what he is doing. “It’s true that everything has it’s personal legend ,but one day that personal legend will be realized ,so each thing has to transform itself into something better ,and to acquire a new personal legend, until someday, the soul of the world becomes one only thing.”

This is illuminated when the Alchemist says, “‘There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure’” (141). This particular moment shows that even though Santiago has both the ability and the knowledge to achieve his dream, it is impossible to attain it if he fears even attempting to reach it. Consequently, this fear acts as his enemy and a barrier that stands in the way of the meaningful and happy life he is destined to accomplish. Furthermore, another one of his fears is the fear of losing what he believes he has already earned. ” He reminded himself that he had been a shepherd and that he could be a shepherd again.

Santiago's temptation is when he has the choice whether or not to stay with Fatima and abandon his Personal Legend. After leaving Fatima he has a difficult time coping with the separation, even if Fatima is a woman of the desert, who knows he will return. The Alchemist offers him a sole piece of advice, “love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend.” (120) Santiago’s heart is aching for the loving arms of Fatima. He realizes that he needs to focus on what he needs, pursuing his Personal Legend and not what he desires to be with Fatima.

While at the Oasis of Al-Fayoum, the elder chieftain of the oasis tells Santiago the story of Joseph of Egypt. Joseph was enslaved for being a dreamer, but he persevered and managed to become an important counselor to the Pharaoh of Egypt. This Personal Legend could have suited Santiago because of his connection to the Soul of the World. The Soul of the World is a spiritual unity that binds all forms of nature together. Santiago knew he wanted to follow his dreams; it was helpful when he learned that “When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it” because he knew he was now destined to complete his goal, and not somebody else’s (Coelho 64).

Ultimately Santiago has developed his identity through the soul of the world and alchemy and has achieved his personal legend

Santiago never gives up on his quest and does everything he can to see it through. No matter how tired he is or how injured his hands and body are, he has a commitment to complete his task. He even goes as far as promising to God that he will pray 500 hail mary’s if he survives the full duration of his expedition, which is especially significant due to the fact that Santiago is not a man of faith. Not only is this theme reflected in the old man, but in both the marlin and Manolin as well.

His expedition of emotion which, seen to others, is unlike Santiago, and demonstrates a quality frown upon by men. It also demonstrates what Santiago has been through and is feeling, which resides in the boy’s caringness towards the old