Night - Part 5

Part 5 – Faith and Survival at Auschwitz (pages 63-80)

Consider the kapos and the young pipel who are hanged. Why might this be such a big deal even though thousands of others have already been killed? Whoa re they bystanders? Who are the victims in the novel?

Consider how Eliezer struggles with his faith.

• Why does Eliezer direct his anger toward God rather than the Germans? What does his anger suggest about the depths of his faith?

• At the beginning of Night, Eliezer describes himself as someone who believes “profoundly.” How have his experiences at Auschwitz affected that faith?

• Describe the encounter between father and son after the services. Why does Eliezer say that the two of them “had never understood one another so clearly”? Why does Eliezer describe himself as “afraid” of having to wish his father a happy New Year?

• How does Eliezer respond when he fears his father has been “selected”? When he discovers that he has indeed been “selected”? When he learns his father has avoided the “final selection”? Why did his father give him the spoon and the knife as his inheritance? What is the significance of such a gift in Auschwitz?

• How has the relationship between Eliezer and his father changed during their time at Auschwitz? What has each come to represent to the other? Consider how Eliezer and his father make a decision that will decide their fate.

• What choices are open to Eliezer and his father when the camp is evacuated? How is the decision to leave made? Who makes the choice? Is it the “right” choice? Or is it an example of a “choiceless choice”? How does the decision help us understand why many survivors attribute their survival to luck?

• Write your responses to this section of the book. You might also list questions and comments on this part of the book.

• Night is written in short, simple sentences. Critics call this kind of writing “controlled.” That means that every word has been carefully chosen for a precise meaning. How do you explain the decision to
write in a “controlled” or measured way to describe experiences that are beyond control?