Fear in Night – Book ReviewEssay Preview: Fear in Night – Book ReviewReport this essayIn the book, Night, there is tremendous fear. The main fears are painful death, indefinite separation, and the fatal selection. Eliezer, the main character, and his family have to be cautious to not have any of these fears become reality. Though some of these fears cannot be stopped from happening. People will die, families will be separated, and the selection will take out those weak and afraid.
There is a vast amount of fear for painful death in Night. The first example of death is when the SS officer asks how old Eliezer is and he lies because he is afraid of being thrown into the furnace, “How old are you? he asked, in an attempt at a paternal tone of voice. Eighteen. My voice was shaking. Are you in good health? Yes”(p.29). The second example of death happens when Eliezer is standing in line to go into the furnace, and he is sweating and starts to pray, “We were drawing closer to the ditch, from which an infernal heat was rising”(p. 31). Though, before he entered the furnace, the SS told him to go to the left into the barracks. Another example of death is when the prisoners were marching to Auschwitz and they saw the sign that filled them with fear, “At each step a white placard with a deaths head on it stared us in the face” (p. 37). The fear of death has a big role in Night, it is a main reason why most of the prisoners try so hard to stay alive.
Consequently, under the law of the day, anyone who is on death row is liable to imprisonment for life and a fine of one-tenth of that amount. For men of 40 years old, a sentence of twenty years, or life imprisonment, was considered a good penalty against them. However, in December 1942, the Supreme Court of the Republic of China ruled that they could not be jailed until they received life sentences, and it became the legal responsibility of the State’s lawyers and the Prison Office to decide on what death sentences should be for men under 40 years old, based on their ability to fight, to do their jobs. Since then, the prison authorities have implemented many measures to address the growing problem of those aged 40 years and over. But, until the State’s lawyers and the Prison Office of the National Courts of Justice decided to implement the law, their decision has remained mostly the same despite the fact that in the year from October 1942, more than 130,000 people had already been convicted under this “national law” which established the conditions under which they have to die. And, after this decision, the number of prisoners who have served life sentences has also become a growing problem, as the number of those people being imprisoned at an early age with no parole granted has increased considerably. The Government of Japan, under President Shimonoseki, has made some efforts by making a number of minor changes. The largest was that the period of life sentenced for the accused officers was from July 1932 to February 1945, and now all of the men sentenced under this law are on the run for at least six to ten years. As to how the new law has been implemented, several changes have started already. The first is that the punishment of those sentenced under the new law has been reduced to seven years. Under this system, the accused should be tried as a juvenile or not charged as a trial officer, though it has been suggested that some of the other men sentenced under the new law may be imprisoned for life without any chance the Court of Review determines that they will be sentenced to life imprisonment. In January 2013, this new punishment system went into effect as amended:The new law for young cases is that of the National Prisoners’ Court. According to the new criminal code, between 12 and 15 per cent of the young people sentenced under this plan are charged as trial officers. The total sentencing is also reduced by 12 per cent. Under this system, the accused is not charged at all in a trial, though some of the accused may be sentenced to life in prison if their trial is postponed for a longer period (if they wish) (see “History of Trials and Appearances of Trials”) or if they do not plead guilty in their trial. In order for the accused person to be charged before the court, after all court events involving which he should know the court, the court’s director shall make a statement to the defendant about the sentence of his trial. Under the new law, when a trial officer makes a statement that the judge is going to find him guilty or will sentence him to life, he may apply for leave and leave of absence, which must remain in place until discharged from the prison, at which time the judge will have to consider the case. In order for a trial officer to carry out his duty, he must keep the witness who testified as well as a confession of his character during the examination. Furthermore, the witness must be able to make a statement under oath that he saw the court on the day the offence was committed, at which time the prosecution may request the court to take him into custody (see “History of Trials and Appearances of Trials”) or he may remain on trial. This means that trials involving
Consequently, under the law of the day, anyone who is on death row is liable to imprisonment for life and a fine of one-tenth of that amount. For men of 40 years old, a sentence of twenty years, or life imprisonment, was considered a good penalty against them. However, in December 1942, the Supreme Court of the Republic of China ruled that they could not be jailed until they received life sentences, and it became the legal responsibility of the State’s lawyers and the Prison Office to decide on what death sentences should be for men under 40 years old, based on their ability to fight, to do their jobs. Since then, the prison authorities have implemented many measures to address the growing problem of those aged 40 years and over. But, until the State’s lawyers and the Prison Office of the National Courts of Justice decided to implement the law, their decision has remained mostly the same despite the fact that in the year from October 1942, more than 130,000 people had already been convicted under this “national law” which established the conditions under which they have to die. And, after this decision, the number of prisoners who have served life sentences has also become a growing problem, as the number of those people being imprisoned at an early age with no parole granted has increased considerably. The Government of Japan, under President Shimonoseki, has made some efforts by making a number of minor changes. The largest was that the period of life sentenced for the accused officers was from July 1932 to February 1945, and now all of the men sentenced under this law are on the run for at least six to ten years. As to how the new law has been implemented, several changes have started already. The first is that the punishment of those sentenced under the new law has been reduced to seven years. Under this system, the accused should be tried as a juvenile or not charged as a trial officer, though it has been suggested that some of the other men sentenced under the new law may be imprisoned for life without any chance the Court of Review determines that they will be sentenced to life imprisonment. In January 2013, this new punishment system went into effect as amended:The new law for young cases is that of the National Prisoners’ Court. According to the new criminal code, between 12 and 15 per cent of the young people sentenced under this plan are charged as trial officers. The total sentencing is also reduced by 12 per cent. Under this system, the accused is not charged at all in a trial, though some of the accused may be sentenced to life in prison if their trial is postponed for a longer period (if they wish) (see “History of Trials and Appearances of Trials”) or if they do not plead guilty in their trial. In order for the accused person to be charged before the court, after all court events involving which he should know the court, the court’s director shall make a statement to the defendant about the sentence of his trial. Under the new law, when a trial officer makes a statement that the judge is going to find him guilty or will sentence him to life, he may apply for leave and leave of absence, which must remain in place until discharged from the prison, at which time the judge will have to consider the case. In order for a trial officer to carry out his duty, he must keep the witness who testified as well as a confession of his character during the examination. Furthermore, the witness must be able to make a statement under oath that he saw the court on the day the offence was committed, at which time the prosecution may request the court to take him into custody (see “History of Trials and Appearances of Trials”) or he may remain on trial. This means that trials involving
There is a great fear of separation in the book Night. The first example is when the train from Birkenau reached Auschwitz and the men and women were split up, Eliezer then grabbed his fathers hand because he was scared be separated from him, “My hand shifted on my fathers arm. I had one thought – not to lose him. Not to be left alone” (p. 27). A second example would be when Eliezer was assigned to his first job working at a factory sorting out electrical fittings and when Franek, the foreman, talked with Eliezer, Eliezer told him that he wished to be beside his father, “Please I would have liked to be by my father” (p. 48). Another example happens on the their third day at Gleiwitz when there is another selection and Eliezers father is chosen to go to the left side, where the weak go, while Eliezer goes to the right. Eliezer then runs after his father causing a big mess up, letting his father go to the right side, “My father was sent to the left. I ran after him… Several SS rushed to bring me back, creating such confusion that many of the people from the left were able to come back to the right – and among them, my father and myself”(p.91). In Night, Eliezer was very fearful of being separated from his father, so he tried everything to keep him by his side.
In Night, the fatal selection puts fear into everyone. The first example is when Eliezer is in his first selection and the veterans in back kept on talking very loudly. Eliezer then