Saturday, December 8, 2012

What is the main difference between Night and Dawn?

I think that the main difference between both works is
that one is a narrative of what happens during the Holocaust and the other one deals
with the implications of consciousness after it.  The premise of
Night is Eliezer's struggle to survive in the midst of absolute
horror.  The ending of the narrative is Eliezer surviving, staring in the mirror with
the incapability to recognize the figure staring back at him.  In
Dawn, the focus is more along the lines of how the survivor deals
with the anger and hatred that results when considering what happened during the
Holocaust.  Elisha's involvement in a terrorist organization whereby murder of those in
the position of power over atrocities committed.  In this case, Elisha is discharged
with the killing of Dawson, a British officer.  In such a narrative, Wiesel is exploring
the psychological implications of the post- Holocaust emotions that envelop the
individual.  This would include anger, regret, revenge, as well as how the role of
violence is a part of the post- Holocaust narrative.  In this, the scope and focus of
Dawn is different than that of
Night.

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