Literary Devices in Night by Elie Wiesel
Uploaded by amad_era on May 11, 2017
“To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.”
-Elie Wiesel
In the memoir Night, Eliezer Wiesel recalls his experiences during the time he was imprisoned in concentration camps. Elie is widely known for his exceptional use of figurative language. Figurative language is a literary device that creates strong imagery through unexpected comparisons and word associations. In Night, one can find examples of metaphors, similes, personification and other devices that can provide powerful feeling to the story.
One literary device used in Night is personification. Personification is when an author attributes human characteristics to inanimate objects. An example of this type of figurative language is when Wiesel wrote, “My throat was dry and the words were choking me, paralyzing my lips. There was nothing else to say,” (Wiesel, 15). This quote is important because it effectively explains his despair in that moment. “My father’s voice tore me from my daydreams...” (Wiesel, 32), is yet another reference to personification. This quote creates a distrait atmosphere in that particular section of the book.
An additional literary device Eliezer uses is similes. Simile is a comparison between two different things using like or as. A simile occurred when Elie wrote “Physically, he was as awkward as a clown. His waiflike shyness made people smile,” (Wiesel, 3). The use of this simile is meaningful because it expresses the love his people had for Moishe the Beadle. A separate mention to a simile is, “He threw himself on me like a wild beast, beating me in the chest, on my head, throwing me to the ground and picking me up again, crushing me with ever more violent blows, until I was covered in blood, ” (Wiesel, 53). This quote is crucial for illustrating just how vicious the man was towards Elie.
The last literary device is a metaphor. A metaphor is a comparison between two or more different items without using like or as. An instance in which a metaphor is used in Night is when Eliezer wrote, “...he was judged too humane. The new one was ferocious and his aides were veritable monsters. The good days were over,” (Wiesel, 44). This quote is important because it correctly specifies the way some people were acting during this time. A further use of this device is when Wiesel wrote “The old men stayed in their corner, silent, motionless, hunted-down creatures,” (Wiesel, 70). This...