Elie Wiesel is basically the only main character. The book never really says his age, but I would guess he was about 16 or 17. He changes tremendously throughout the book. At first he is strong and has tons of faith in God. But as the story goes on, he loses most of his faith, and really doesn't care about anyone but himself.
This book was about what the Holocaust did. People all over the world were devastated by this horrible occurrence. One example of the heinous acts of the Germans that stands out occurs at the end of the war, when Elie and the rest of the camp of Buna is being forced to transfer to Gleiwitz. This is a long, and tiring journey for all who are involved. The weather is painfully cold, and snow fell heavily; the distance is greater than most people today will even dream of walking. The huge mass of people is often forced to run, and if one collapses, is injured, or simply can no longer bear the pain, they are shot or trampled on without pity. An image that secures itself in Elie's memory is that of Rabbi Eliahou's son's leaving the Rabbi for dead. The father and son are running together when the father begins to grow tired. As the Rabbi falls farther and farther behind his son runs on, pretending not to see what is happening to his father. This causes Elie to think of what he woul!
d do if his father ever became as weak as the Rabbi. He decided that he would never leave his father, even if staying with him would be mean death.
There were many climaxes in this story, but I will only name a few. Elie's faith in God, is strong at the onset of the novel, but grows weaker as it goes on. When Elie's father politely asks the SS Officer where the laboratories are, the officer did not reply but instead he delivered a blow to his head and sent him to the floor. Elie watches the entire thing but doesn't even blink. He realizes that nothing can save him from the ph
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