How Does Elie Wiesel Lose Innocence

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Dismantling Aspects of Innocence Through Trauma As children grow into adults, they naturally lose a certain innocence over that long period of growth; whether through the stress of societal pressures, social interactions, or academic pursuit. However, this time when the child grows into an adult is a very fragile point in their life. When they are exposed to traumatizing and life-threatening events, it can significantly speed up that period of growth and even strip away their innocence. The story of Eliezer - a fifteen-year-old boy - in Elie Weisel’s Night is set during the latter years of World War Two and leads the reader through Elie’s experiences in concentration camps. Throughout his journey, Elie witnesses and lives through mortifying, horrific scenes that no human …show more content…
Elie’s first encounter with concentration camps begins early on in the novel. He and the people in his town had heard tales from a man who escaped, but they never truly believed his stories could be an honest depiction of persecution against Jews by the Nazis. However, after being rounded up and transported to Birkenau, they were forcefully stripped of nearly everything they owned, and “the beloved objects that [they] had carried with [them] from place to place were now left behind in the wagon and, with them, finally, [their] illusions” (29). Prior to arriving at Birkenau, Elie was able to live in ignorant bliss because he was watching from the sidelines. Now that he is physically in the camp and has been exposed to the smell and sight of crematoriums, he is no longer able to live in that innocent ignorance that kept him from the anxiety and trauma of the real world during that period. Only minutes later, Elie witnessed a truck of dead children being dumped into the flames of a crematorium while he was walking towards what he thought would be his
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