Your Name: ____________________________________
Ms. Burns
date: _____________
Block: ___________
Night: Examining themes
A book like Night is powerful and it seems to ask us to ask questions, to delve beyond the surface of the story to
discover more about what Elie Wiesel is saying. In your research paper, I’ll ask you to explore one of the
possible themes in Night and comment on what Wiesel is suggesting about the big questions in life.
Before we can look at themes (the central, underlying messages of the text), we will first explore some motifs.
In literature, a motif is an object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work. Moreover, a motif will
contribute to a theme. For example, if the motif is an idea that repeats throughout the text, then the theme is
the complete message we receive with the help of that repeated idea. A motif in Night might be the father-son
bond. The theme, however, is what Elie Wiesel is saying to us about the father-son bond. Make sense? In
order to come up with some themes in Night, start by looking at some motifs and then asking yourself What is
Wiesel saying about that motif?
Below you will find some motifs. You will select three motifs and decide what Wiesel suggests/implies about
each one. When you combine them, you will have your theme, and the beginning of your thesis statement.
What’s still missing? The parts/prongs, of course! Once you have told your reader what your theme is, you
will need to touch on why you feel that way (or, in other words, what in the text shows that theme). Before we
work on making our complete thesis statements, however, you will need to find some examples for each of your
possible themes to help you decide which one you really want to write about.
Directions: First, choose three motifs from Night.
Possible motifs
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The Father-Son Bond
Silence
Struggle with Faith
Inhumanity Towards Fellow Man
Mortality
Race
Family
Freedom and Confinement
Lies and Deceit 
Next, think about what Wiesel seems to be saying about each motif. Write your responses below.
- Motif #1: ____________________________
- What Wiesel is saying about it: __________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
- Motif #2: ____________________________
- What Wiesel is saying about it: __________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
- Motif #3: ____________________________
- What Wiesel is saying about it: __________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
As a class, we will discuss what Wiesel is saying about various motifs in order to create themes (motif + what
Wiesel is suggesting about it = theme). You will then select one of the themes to write your research paper on.
Your chosen theme will become the beginning of your thesis statement. You will still need to add your “parts”
(the reasons you believe it is the theme), but that will be coming soon!
Example:
In Night, Wiesel suggests that (insert motif) is (insert what you think Wiesel believes)
In Night, Elie Wiesel implies that confinement is a dehumanizing process which strips people of their identity
and dignity...
Now, use your work from the previous page and our class discussion to write down two themes below:
- Possible theme#1: ______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
- Possible theme #2: _____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
The theme I choose to write about is: __________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
On the chart on the next page of this packet, you will be finding quotes from the text to support the theme who
have chosen. These quotes will serve as proof/examples of the theme you have selected. Your job is to go back
through the text and find four quotes that demonstrate your chosen theme, and write down how that example
proves your theme.
Your Name: ___________________________________
Date: ______________________
Quotation Worksheet: Quotes from Night
Theme:_____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Summarize Quote
Quotation 1
Quotation 2
Quotation 3
How does this quote show your
chosen theme?