This is the section of the book where Elie is preparing to assassinate the man. In the beginning of this section, he notes something interesting: "Ever since midnight the visitors had been pouring in. Among them were people I had known, people I had hated, admired, forgotten. As I let my eyes wander about the room I realized that all of those who had contributed to my formation, to the formation of my permanent identity, were there.... Yet I knew that at some point my life had crossed theirs" (Wiesel 44). This novel takes another turn when Elie walks around to all the people, and he cannot get an answer for one simple question: Why is everyone here? The old beggar man, whom we were introduced to in the beginning of the novel, gives him a strange answer: "'This is a night of many faces'" (Wiesel 46).
The whole point of the novel is now understood clearly to the reader: Elie must kill John Dawson at Dawn the next day. This is significant... The title of the book is Dawn! Here, we as the reader have reached a major point in the book. Elie now realizes that these people who are in the room too small to hold them, are counting on him to murder this man. This man he seems to have no feelings towards or against, yet he is to be placed on the safe side of a gun. If I were Elie, I would be shocked. I wouldn't want people rooting for me in times where I am going to do something that is against the human code. Killing another human as if you are forced into a televised, radio-broadcasting game; and the whole entire audience is rooting for you. For you to kill the opponent.
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ReplyDeleteI thought that it was very interesting that Ilana kept saying poor boy the same way that Elisha’s friend Catherine had said before. They both said it over and over but for different reasons. When Catherine said it was when they where about to make love and Elisha submitted that he could feel love. She had taught Elisha all about love. Elisha thinks that she did this because she knew that he, theoretically, was the poor boy who was sent to heaven and then sent back as a dead person. Elisha said, “she liked making love with little boys who were going to die....[and that it was] no wonder that her presence this night in palestine was not surprising.” (Wiesel 43). He believed that it was Catherine who was saying this and not Ilana and that it was at that moment because Elisha was about to kill John Dawson.
ReplyDeleteI was quite confused in the section that Elisha was talking to a younger self and the beggar. The only part I understood was that Elisha was processing what was happening to himself. He wanted to know why the people were all standing somewhere and waiting. His younger self said, “We are here to be present at the execution. We want to see you carry it out. We want to see you turn into a murderer. Thats natural enough, isn’t it?.... In a way we are the ones to execute John Dawson. Because you can’t do it without us.” I believe that this is a significant quote because it shows what Elisha is thinking and how he actually needs the support of everyone else in order to kill John Dawson. Although this part was confusing, I believe that Elie Wiesel did a good job portraying someone dealing with this tough situation.