Night Essay Prompts

-Either divide Elie’s struggle into stages, or consider three aspects of faith and/or the

effects of losing it.

-Consider various interpretations of God’s intentions, visual imagery (such as death

imagery) depicting God or God’s actions, how faith affects the prisoners as a whole, and

Elie’s internal struggle to restore his original beliefs.

-Focus on three forms of how people can be dehumanized, or chart Elie’s progression of

suffering according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

-Consider forms of persecution in the novel, their effects on both parties, stages of

suffering according to Maslow and how they pertain to events in the novel, and long-term

effects of suffering.

Option C

Loyalty in the midst of suffering.

-Analyze how loyalty to family and loved ones, to one’s faith and culture, and to oneself

(optimism; hope for the future) are challenged in horrific and life-threatening situations.

-Consider Elie’s relationships and feelings of loss toward his father and family, Elie and

various other characters’ selfish or selfless acts towards others in the same situation, and

elements of hope or hopelessness in Elie and other characters.

It is possible to look at Night as the story of Eliezer’s loss of innocence. It might be argued, too, that innocence is impossible after the Holocaust. Is this true? Is it tragic, or is innocence an impediment to survival, as when the Jews are too innocent to believe that Hitler really means to kill them?

-Compare and contrast Elie's attitude towards God and religion at the beginning of the story and at the end.