“It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
The book, Night by Elie Wiesel, is a memoir about Eliezer, who is sent to Auschwitz: a concentration camp, after failing to free the country during World War II. Eliezer struggles against starvation and abuse, along with taking care of his father. Because of his desperate situation, Eliezer feels a torn between supporting his weak father and giving himself the best chance of survival. He also grapples with the destruction of his faith in God’s justice. Though Eliezer survives the concentration camps, he leaves behind his own innocence and is haunted by the death and violence he has witnessed. Elie Wiesel shows that sometimes in life, it’s the small things that have the largest impact.
In the book, silence is an example of a small idea that causes an unforgettable change. Silence can symbolize fear. Fear causes people to change or act a certain way. For example, Eliezer remains silent when his father is beaten.It states, ”...he dealt my father such a clout that he fell to the ground, crawling back to his place on all fours. I did not move. What had happened to me? My father had just been struck, before my very eyes, and I had not flickered an eyelid...Yesterday, I should have sunk my nails into the criminal's flesh. Had I changed so much, then? So quickly?”(36) In other words, He remains silent or risks his life. Silence can represents the helplessness of the oppressed.
Furthermore, silence can also be powerful and arousing. It can represent rebelling and defiance.It states, “As I bit my lips in order not to howl with pain, he must have mistaken my silence for defiance and so he continued to hit me harder and harder.”(71) In other words, Eliezer is beaten, he remains silent, so he doesn’t give in to the pain. Silence can provoke action. It causes change. Silence, even though is a very small thing, it can be much more. Silence can be a small factor that evokes humans all around.
Silence can express those who are powerless, who can do nothing but be silent, or it can be the reason why the powerless gain back control. In Night, Eliezer survives the concentration camps because of his silence, whether it be when he was helpless or when he was defying against the guards or even God. This book has taught me that the smallest actions can be the reason for the biggest change or impact. Additionally, this book has also taught me that change can happen anywhere, anyway, and anytime.
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