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Book Report of Night by Elie Wiesel Book Report of Night by Elie Wiesel Tania Ardiani and Ayu Ida Savitri, S.S, M.Hum. English Department, Faculty of Humanity, Diponegoro University, Semarang 50275 Abstrak Penulisan tugas akhir “Bedah Buku Night karya Elie Wiesel” bertujuan untuk mengungkap simbol yang banyak digunakan oleh pengarang yang bertujuan untuk mewakili perasaan yang ingin disampaikan oleh pengarang yang tidak dijabarkan. Selain itu, tugas akhir ini juga menilai kelebihan dan kekurangan dari novel Night. Penulis memutuskan untuk membedah novel Night karena sebagai karya sastra novel ini merupakan sebuah karya sastra yang mengandung unsur sejarah sehingga bisa berperan ganda sebagai penyegar kalbu dan sumber wawasan. Penulis menggunakan metode membaca cermat untuk menemukan simbol, kelebihan dan kekurangan dari novel ini. Setelah dianalisis ditemukan bahwa ada beberapa simbol, yang sebagian merupakan simbol di agama Yahudi, yang digunakan untuk lebih menekankan penderitaan dari para korban Holocaust yang segala hak mereka telah dirampas oleh Nazi. Novel ini mempunyai kelebihan dalam temanya yaitu mempunyai tema tentang kejadian yang besar dan terkenal sehingga bisa dijadikan sebagai salah satu referensi kesejarahan yang didukung dengan penggunaan bahasa denotatif yang tidak ambigu. Kedekatan batin antara Eliezer dan ayahnya yang berkembang di kamp konsentrasi juga merupakan nilai lebih dari novel ini. Namun, hal yang menyulitkan dalam mendalami novel ini adalah beberapa istilah agama Yahudi dan bahasa Jerman sehingga diperlukan referensi lain untuk memahaminya. Dari segi penokohan, penulis menganggap bahwa tokoh Eliezer mempunyai karakter yang jauh lebih dewasa dan tidak sesuai dengan umurnya yang sebenarnya yaitu 15 tahun. Kata kunci: Holocaust, Kamp Konsentrasi, Nazi, Yahudi 1. Introduction caused by war itself. War takes not War is one effective way to only the soldiers’ souls but also the “reduce” the population of people in souls of innocence or civilian. the world. The number of people World War II that happened in decreases because of the suffering 1939-1945 was also caused a lot of people lost their soul and life. The most In composing this project, the popular event was Holocaust or the writer determines to discuss two genocide of European Jews by Nazi problems related to the topic and to be German, led by Adolf Hitler. The revealed in later discussion, among victims were Jews and non Jews. Nazi them are: grouped them as German and non- 2.1 To reveal the symbols German, in Eastern and Center Europe. and allusions used in Night, in order to The chosen people were sent to the ease the reader to grab deeper concentration camps to be killed understanding of the messages that are directly or they had to be slaves until conveyed by the author. dying before they really died. 2.2 To give the review of One of the survived victims in Night, those are the strength, weakness, this catastrophe that succeeded to live and personal opinion of the writer. until the war ended is Elie Wiesel. He cures his trauma and endurs his fear to 3. Biography of The tell what happened when he was Author imprisoned in concentration camps, Elie Wiesel was born in the town Auschwitz and Birkenau, and wrote it of Sighet in Transylvania. He was still a in a memorial novel Night. teenager when he was taken from his Night is a story of a virtuous home to the Auschwitz concentration Jews teenager that has a problem with camp and take to Buchenwald. His his relation with God because of the memoirs of that experience the torture after he is sent to concentration unforgettably recorded in Night, which camps for being a Jew. This book became a worldwide bestseller. shows to the world that Holocaust After the war, Wiesel learned seizes everything; family, friends, that his mother and younger sister had right, live, and faith. Beside all died in the gas chambers, but that his controversy of Holocaust that lasted two older sisters had survived. Elie lived until this era, this book also reveals the in a French orphanage for a few years evidence that the story of “sacred” and in 1948 began to study literature, Holocaust is not only a myth. The story philosophy, and psychology at the from the point of view of a fifteen year Sorbonne in Paris. He is the author of old teenager is told honestly and twenty one books. Wiesel's other novels unexaggeratedly. The writing include The Gates of the Forest, The technique used makes a balanced feel Oath, The Testament, and The Fifth Son. to the readers. It can grab readers’ He has written plays, including Zalmen, sympathy but does not make them too or The Madness of God and The Trial of pitied of it. The writer reviews this God, and his essays and short stories are book to improve the skill in literature collected in the volumes Legends of Our project. The writer hopes that this Time, One Generation After, and A Jew review can help the reader to get more Today. In addition, he has written understanding about the messages of collections of Hasidic tales and Biblical this book. stories, and the English translation of his memoirs was published in 1995 as All 2. Objective Rivers Run to the Sea. Wiesel continues to write in French, but his wife Marion, who he married in 1969 and who also Along the year of 1943, the survived the concentration camps, situation was normal. In 1944 after collaborates with him his books' English Fascist party won the election, the translations. Wiesel's books on the commando of deportation was issued. Holocaust have helped win him an Jews had to wear the yellow star. Two international reputation. ghettos were started to set up in the Wiesel has lectured at colleges town. The people thought that ghettos around the country and has been Andrew were the save place at least until the Mellon Professor of Humanities at war ended. When the day of the Boston University since 1976. In 1978 deportation came, they marched to the he was appointed Chairman of the station and were brought with cattle United States Holocaust Memorial cars 80 people in each car. Council by President Jimmy Carter, and In Eliezer’s train there was in 1985 he was awarded the Madam Schachter who always Congressional Gold Medal of screamed that she saw fire, a nerve- Achievement by President Ronald racking waiting for departing to the Reagan. In 1986 Wiesel received the unknown destination. After a few days, Nobel Prize for Peace. Currently, Elie they arrived at Birkenau, the reception Wiesel lives in New York City with his center of Auschwitz, and they really wife and son Elisha. smelled burnt flesh from the furnace. Right after they arrived in the concentration camp, there was a 4. Summary command from the Schutzstaffel (SS) Moshe the Beadle was an that man should go to the left and orphan that was loved by the people women to the right. The notorious Dr. who worked in Hasidic synagogue in Mangele examined the people. Those Sighet, Transylvania (now becomes a that were considered weak would be part of Romania) where Eliezer and his killed. At this time Elizer was still family and other Jews lived. His father together with his father. At the same was a man who did not have a close time he started to accuse God that he relationship with his family but he was was not with the people who believed very respected by the Jews in their in His existence. neighborhood. Eliezer had two older The barrack was like hell. It sisters, Hilda and Bea, and a younger was full of madness, scream and sister, Tzipora. brutishness. The officers made them One day, all Jews foreigners stripped. At this time self-defense were deported by cattle car by instinct and pride have lost from their Hungarian police, and Moshe was soul. The selected people were sent to included in that group. A few months work in the furnace and the rest, later, Moshe went back to town and including Eliezer and his father, is told the story about his suffer that moved to the main camp Auschwitz. people had to dig their own graves and The officers gave them clothes, black sacrifice their own necks. He also coffee, tick soup, and bread to eat. warned the people in Sighet to escape. Afternoon roll call gave them a number Yet they did not believe him and even for each person, Elizer is A-7713. After said that he was insane. three weeks in Auschwitz they moved They were brought to to Buna. Buchenwald with the rattle without Some people said that Buna roof. Eliezer’s father got dysentery, was the “best” concentration camp. once he thought that he would let him After three days the doctor came to die so he would lost this burden but as examine but actually he only came to soon as he regretted it. Three days later look for golden teeth. Eliezer has a he could not find his father on his bed. golden tooth, and he could not save it Maybe he still breathed when he was any longer after some postponements. brought to crematory. Eliezer regretted Eliezer worked in the warehouse next since the last word his father said was to a French girl that is told they would his name, and he ignored it. After that, meet some years later in Paris. On there was no story about Eliezer since Sunday Buna was stricken, the only reason of his life was his Eliezerhoped that Buna was totally father. Eliezer was sent to children ruined. A week later a black gallows block, and in April the American give more frightening experience but at soldier won the battle over SS and least it felt like freedom for those who released all prisoners.
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