NIGHT SUMMARIES

Pages 1-8

Elie studies Cabbala with Moishe, the Beadle. Moishe and other foreignJews are deported and Moishe survives massacre. He returns to Sighet and warns them, but no one believes him.

Pages 8-14

Jews of Sighet believe war will end soon; they’ll be safe. Elie asks father to leave (Spring 1944). Nazis enter village and at first are nice. Soon they impose laws and set up two ghettos.“Ghetto ruled by delusion.” Jews will be deported.

Pages 12-18

Elie wakes father’s friend, who accepts that they must leave. Households are emptied into yard. Deportees for 1st

transport wait in blazing sun, finally leave. Elie’s family moved to small ghetto, which was “chaos.” Elie hates for first time – Hungarian police.

Pages 18-23

Martha tries to save Elie’s family. They share their last Sabbath meal together. They wait at synagogue, then are packed into cattle cars. “The world had become a hermetically sealed cattle car.” Mrs. Schachter imagines she sees fire and her boy tries to calm her. They tie her up.

Pages 23-32

Train arrives at Auschwitz. Jews sent into two lines. Elie sees mother and sisters disappear. Elie and Father are spared. Mengele makes choices. Elie witnesses burning of babies and learns forever the meaning of “Night.”

Pages 32-43

Prisoners lose clothes and hair, receive uniforms. Elie manages to keep shoes, thanks God for mud. Elie’s father is slapped. Elie does not defend him. Prisoners taken to Auschwitz. Elie tattooed. Elie lies to Stein about fate of family. Elie and father shipped to Buna.

Pages 43-52

Elie and father assigned to Orchestra Barracks, and to work in electrical factory. Franek is foreman and Idek is kapo. Elie avoids dentist pulling crown by claiming he’s ill. Dentist hanged. Jewish girl helps Elie (pretends she’s Aryan). Elie’s father is beaten and Elie is angry at his father.

Pages 52-66

Franek wants Elie’s crown and beats Elie’s father to get it, also charging Elie a ration of bread. Franek transferred. Elie badly beaten for spying on Idek. During air raid two cauldrons of soup are left unattended. A man crawls to soup and is shot. Inmates not afraid to die – happy about raid. Elie witnesses hanging of defiant young man and enjoys soup. Witnesses hanging of angelic child and soup tastes like corpses. Refuses to bless God and does not fast for Yom Kippur.

Pages 66-74

There is another selection. Elie passes but there is a question about father who gives Elie inheritance of spoon and knife. Akiba Drumer is taken; he lost faith and gave up. Elie dreams of a world without bells.

Pages 74-79

Winter arrives and the cold. Elie injures foot and it is saved in operation. News comes to evacuate – Russians are coming. Elie runs to father for advice, but Elie must decide: they will leave.

Pages 79 – End

Infirmary liberated by Russians. Elie’s last night in Buna, he thinks of all the “Last Nights.” Next evening have to clean block.

Prisoners begin march when night has fallen – even darker night waiting. They have to run, shot if can’t keep up. Zalman collapses, trampled.

Death becomes desirable, except for father.

Elie falls asleep in snow in brick factory. Father saves him. Rabbi Eliahu’s son lost him on purpose. Elie prays for strength not to do same.

At last arrive in Gleiwitz. Elie almost crushed. Hears Juliek and violin – Beethoven. Juliek dies. Three days without food or water. Selection before leaving. Elie saves father.

Waiting for train, prisoners eat snow off each other’s backs. Get into roofless cattle cars and prepare to die. Throw out dead. Tried to throw out father but Elie saves him. Worker throws piece of bread into car and people scramble for it. Son kills father for bread, then killed. (Elie is 16 years old).

Stranger tries to strangle Elie.

Twelve out of 100 in car survive to arrive in Buchenwald. Father wants to give up. In barracks he grows weaker. Elie takes care of him but resents it. Father dies. Elie feels, “Free at last.”

Elie in Buchenwald until April 11. Nothing mattered after father’s death. Transferred to children’s block.

On April 5 resistance saves children. Camp to be liquidated, but Elie’s group last.

April 11, 1945 Americans arrive after successful resistance.

Elie develops food poisoning, survives.

Looks in mirror, sees corpse.“The look has never left me.”