An example of dehumanization in the novel is when Eliezer and his Father were first kidnapped. Eliezer and his father were forced into cramped wagons. A German officer told everyone, “‘There are eighty of you in this wagon, If anyone is missing, you’ll all be shot, like dogs” (Wiesel 22). This quote clearly shows how the Germans had no respect for the Jews. The German soldiers compared the innocent people in the wagons to “dogs”, which proves that the Germans thought the Jews were not capable of the qualities a human can have. The soldiers …show more content…
During the first night at the camp Eliezer experienced a terrible example of dehumanization. It started when, “A truck drew close and unloaded its hold: small children. Babies! Yes, I did see this, with my own eyes … children thrown into the flames” (Wiesel 32). Children were being burned to death because they were seen to be weak by the Germans. They were tossed away like a weak dog and killed. They were portrayed as not “human” enough to get a proper burial. These small innocent children were fastly dehumanized.
There is a clear display of dehumanization between Eliezer, his family, and his fellow Jews through the novel. This novel shows how horrible the Germans were to the Jews. They beat them and took away their humanity. Only towards the end of the book did Eliezer realize how he no longer had human emotion and feeling. This causes the savage and uncontrolled behavior the Jews have acted with in the concentration