Overview of Night by Elie Wiesel

Written by Elie Wiesel, Night is a concise and intense account of the authors experience in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust. The memoir provides a good starting point for discussions about the Holocaust, as well as suffering and human rights. The book is short—just 116 pages—but those pages are rich and lend themselves to exploration. Use these 10 questions to keep your book club or class discussion of ​Night  challenging and interesting. *Spoiler Warning: Some of these questions reveal important details from the story. Be sure to finish the book before reading further in this article Night Discussion Questions These 10  questions should start some good conversation. Many of them include mention of pivotal plot points, so your club or class may want to explore those as well.   At the beginning of the book,  Wiesel tells the story of Moishe the Beadle. Why do you think none of the people in the village, including Wiesel, believed Moishe when he returned?What is the significance of the yellow star?  Faith plays an important role in this book. How does Wiesels faith change? Does this book change your view of God?How do the people Wiesel interacts with strengthen or diminish his hope and desire to live? Talk about his father, Madame Schachter, Juliek (the violin player), the French girl, Rabbi Eliahou and  his son, and the Nazis. Which of their actions touched you the most?What was the significance of the Jews being separated into right and left lines upon their arrival in camp?Was any section of the book particularly striking to you? Which one and why?At the end of the book, Wiesel describes himself in the mirror as a corpse gazing back at himself. In what ways did Wiesel die during the Holocaust? Does the memoir give you any hope that Wiesel ever start ed living again?Why do you think Wiesel titled the book Night? What are the literal and symbolic meanings of night in the book?How does Wiesels writing style make his account effective?Could something like the Holocaust happen today? Discuss more recent genocides, such as the situation in Rwanda in the 1990s and the conflict in Sudan. Does Night teach us anything about how we can react to these atrocities? A Word of Caution   This is a difficult book to read in several ways, and it can prompt some very provocative conversation. You may find that some members of your club or your classmates are reluctant to wade into this, or conversely, that they get pretty fired up about issues of genocide and faith. Its important that everyones feelings and opinions be respected, and that the conversation prompts growth and understanding, not hard feelings. Youll want to handle this book discussion with care.