Topic > Dehumanization in the book 'Night' by Elie Wiesel

In the book 'Night' Elie Wiesel tells the story of a young boy who experiences loss, torture, abuse and dehumanization. Dehumanization occurs when an individual loses the human qualities that make him who he is, making him inhuman. These unfortunate events will change their character and morality. This may be the cause of the animalistic treatment they receive. They turn out to be underdeveloped people, with barbaric and animalistic characteristics necessary to survive in these conditions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay How does Wiesel describe dehumanization in “the night”? One way they might dehumanize prisoners is by shaving their hair. Hair makes you who you are and, in some cases, is what makes a person feel like themselves. It would hurt women more than men because women are famous for their long and beautiful hair in this time period. Shaving your hair will give you more reason to look like an animal. It's almost like shearing a sheep. They used the hair for clothes and wigs. Hair generally makes people feel human, and removing something that makes them feel less than themselves is wrong. Inmates have lived their short or long lives by their name but that is how they are known to themselves and others. When the prisoners arrived in the camps and if they survived the selection they were given a tattoo which would be their new "name". This was not the name in the book "Night". Eli got the number A-7713. It wasn't Eli anymore, it was his number. Removing someone's name will make it easier to torture, enslave, or kill the prisoner. Being treated like animals or nothing hurt the prisoners more than anything. The prisoners were told they were going away, as if on holiday. Prisoners packed suitcases full of food, clothes, shoes, games, things that people would take on vacation. They soon discovered that they would not go on holiday, but would be sent to die or be slaves of the Nazis. They packed themselves into cattle cars and were sent to their location. They got out and quickly took their bags away. As if that wasn't enough they were sent to the selection and those who were not suitable, women, children, old, unhealthy, were sent to die and those who remained to work had to wear their only pair of striped clothes. The prisoners no longer had a sense of self because the SS officers took everything away from them, even their gold teeth. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Although the Nazis would not have agreed , the Jews faced much dehumanization such as the loss of their name, hair, clothing, and other things. Jews struggled with many factors of suffering during the Holocaust in many other ways. For example, losing loved ones, separating from loved ones, and getting to the point where they mentally want to die every day. While there were many contributions to Jewish suffering, dehumanization was by far one of the cruelest things Jews faced during World War II. Works Cited: Everytown. (2018, February 15). School shootings in America. Farhi, P. (2018, February 15). No, there were not 18 school shootings in 2018. That number is completely wrong. The Washington Post.Krieg, G. (2019, January 25). Here's how the latest government shutdown ended. CNN.Kurtzleben, D. (2018, January 22). The story of government shutdowns in US NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2018/01/22/579654363/the-history-of-government-shutdowns-in-the-u-sLi, D. (2019,.