Symbolism of Fire
Night- Elie Wiesel
Weisel’s
Purpose?
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indiffe
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indiffe
And the opposite of life is not death, it's
indifference.”
 To never allow such a thing to
occur again
Lets Break it Down
Fire’s Denotation
A burning mass of material,
as on a hearth or in a furnace.
Fire!
Connotations
(many meanings)
- Agony
- Smothering
- Weapon vs. Life
Agony
Fire is associated with
something that torments,
causes anguish (the loss of a
home), or rage.
Smothering
Equal in sense of
covering and
distinguishing
-Physically
-Mentally (faith)
-Emotionally
Night is equal in terms
to fire
Ex) The night
smothered the day.
Weapon vs. Life
The Nazis wield it
(crematories)
“We lived with the
illusion of that
every one of us
has been
entrusted with a
sacred spark
from the
Shekhinah's
flame.”
How Elie
uses fire….
Burning away of his Faith
Pg 64, “Yes, man is stronger, greater than God.
You brought down the Flood. You caused the
heavens to rain down fire and damnation. But
look at these men you have betrayed."
As Elie’s life slowly burns away…
So does his faith in God
The fate of the Jews
Whether the Jews are beaten,
trampled, or starved to death, they
will meet the crematory in the end.
To Create an Element of Fear
"She continued to scream and sob fitfully.
"Jews, listen to me," she cried. "I see a fire! I
see flames, huge flames!”
“It was as
though she
were
possessed
by some evil
spirit.”
Interpretation
Madame Shacter yells fire
and frightens the other Jews
Fire Functions to give a reader
the chills.
- Does this creep you out?
All three elements work together to….
• Create deep imagery
• Allow a greater sense
of appreciation
• Increase interaction
• Create sympathy
• Act as a reminder
Elie’s Purpose
Pay homage to the Jews, and to make sure this
never happens again.
The
opposite of
love is not
hate, it’s
indifference.
- Elie Wiesel
Elie’s Purpose
• Pg 32, " Never
shall I forget those
flames that
consumed my faith
forever. Never shall
I forget the
nocturnal silence
that deprived me
for all eternity of
the desire to live....
Elie’s Purpose
“Never shall I
forget those
moments that
murdered my
God and my soul
and turned my
dreams to
ashes.” (Pg 32)
Interpretation
Elie is consumed by the fire as if his life is slowly
burning away
His feelings are used to evoke personal
experience with imagery
Analysis of Synthesis
All three
elements work
to create…
- Emotional participation
- Strong imagery
- Greater sense and
experience
Emotional Participation
• “I pinched myself.
Was I still alive?
How was it possible
that men, women,
and children were
being burned and
that the world kept
silent?” Pg 30
Put yourself in Elie’s shoes… The sights of the
camp bring out the emotions inside you.
Strong Imagery
Pg 26, "In front of
us, those flames.
In the air, the
smell of burning
flesh. It must
have been
around midnight.
We had arrived.
In Birkenau."
Images from
the text
never leave
your mind…
Greater Sense of
Experience
"Father," I said. "If
that is true, then I
don't want to wait. I'll
run into the
electrified barbed
wire. That would be
easier than a slow
death in the flames.“
(Pg 31)
We feel the emotions as if
we are there.
Usage and Purpose…
How does characterization of
fire achieve the purpose or
theme?
Multiple elements achieve the target theme …
Appropriate use of the word
Brings out
imagery,
feelings, and
connotations.
"Look at the fire! Look
at the flames! Flames
everywhere ..." 26
Identifies Greater Sense
“My soul had been
invaded—and
devoured—by a
black flame.”
Better
understanding of
the message is
evoked
Symbolizes more than just
the suffrage of one…
...but the
burning
flame that
consumed a
race
Leaves Impact on
reader
•
“Do you see that
chimney over thereOver
there- that’s where you
are going to be taken.
That’s your grave. You
are going to be burned.
Frizzled away. Turned
into ashes.” Pg 28
It leaves an impression on the mind and
engraves it like hot metal on skin.
Evokes images
that correlate to
the holocaust,
thus fire is
appropriate.
Fire = strong
connotative
language
 Like poetry
Images are too strong to forget…
We must never forget
Is the
purpose
achieved?
To never
forget such
crimes and
never
allow them
to happen
again?
We think
so….
B
E
C
A
U
S
E
Fire is achieved in terms of…
Connotation
emotions
Impact and reaction
Multiple elements and usage
Appropriatness
In addition
The symbol of fire
correlates with the
themes…
• Man’s
Inhumanity to
Man
• The Struggle
to Maintain
Faith
• Father-SonBond
Fire is used as a weapon
 Pg 4, “A lorry drew up at the pit and delivered it’s
load – Babies! …those children in the flames”
- succeeds to represent man’s inhumanity
portrays atrocotices
Struggle of
“Never shall I
forget
that
Faith
smoke. Never
shall I forget the
small faces of the
children [turned
into ashes]. Never
shall I forget
those flames that
consumed my
faith forever.”
“Never shall I forget those moments
that murdered my God and my soul
and turned my dreams to ashes.”
- Elie’s fire of faith is smothered by
evil
Fire destroys the father-son-bond
Pg 87, “He had felt his father growing weak….
He sought this seperation in order to get rid
of the burdern.”
“The student of
Talmud, the child
I was, had been
consumed by the
flames.”
All that was left
was a shape
that resembled
me. My soul
had been
invaded—and
devoured—by
a black flame."
The Jews attitude and personality is
corrupted by brutality and vicousness…
They resemble animals….
 They attack each other
 Sons attack fathers
 Rabbi Elihou’s son
abandons him
 Eli fails the test
 Men choke fathers for
bread
Elie’s Failure
Pg 102, “I gave him what was left of my soup.
But it was with a heavy heart. Not better than
Rabbi Elihou’s son had I withstood the test.”
In Conclusion….
Night is effective because….
• Creates strong impacts on
readers
• Fire is used in multiple
meanings
• Excellent Imagery
• Deep ideas
• Relevant to themes
• Leaves and impression
 Serves as a reminder
The memory of the Holocaust is
engrained in our minds like a tattoo
Thank You!
• Daniil Oliferovskiy
• Riley Zucker
• Peter Shaw
• Jazib Shakil
A similar but not related tangent!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzXDi_f9PUY