Monday, June 29, 2009

What are some examples of foreshadowing in chapter 4 of the book Night by Elie Wiesel?

In the fourth chapter of the book Night by Elie Wiesel, readers can find examples of foreshadowing. When Eliezer and his father first arrive at Buna and are waiting to find out which unit/camp they will be assigned to, an aide to their tent leader approaches Eliezer. He wants his shoes in exchange for help getting "into a good Kommando" and being able to stay with his father (Wiesel, 48). Eliezer does not want to give up his shoes, however. The aide offers to also give Eliezer an extra ration of bread with margarine, but still he refuses. Later, Eliezer is forced to give up his shoes to someone else and given nothing in return. This foreshadows what happens later in the chapter when Franek wants Eliezer's gold tooth. Eliezer is hoping to keep his tooth so that he can trade it if necessary for extra food or to save his and his father's lives. In the end, Franek tortures Eliezer's father until he agrees to give the tooth. This time, Eliezer even has to give up some of his food on top of losing the tooth.


Another example of foreshadowing occurs when Eliezer's father is being tortured by Franek. Wiesel writes, "Unfortunately, Franek knew how to handle this; he knew my weak spot" (55). His weakness was his father and would continue to be his father throughout the events of the story. Just before the camp is liberated, Eliezer's father becomes deathly ill and eventually dies. When his father, his weakness, is finally gone, Eliezer feels a sense of freedom. Wiesel writes, "...if I could have searched the recesses of my feeble conscience, I might have found something like: free at last!" to explain his reaction to his father's death (112).


A third example of foreshadowing can be found when Eliezer describes his encounter with the young Frenchwoman he works beside in the factory. She comforts him after a brutal beating by Idek, revealing she speaks German, where before Eliezer assumed they could not communicate. She says to him, "Bite your lips, little brother...Don't cry. Keep your anger, your hate, for another day, for later. The day will come, but not now...Wait. Clench your teeth and wait" (53). This foreshadows that liberation will come and that Eliezer will survive.

No comments:

Post a Comment

What was the device called which Faber had given Montag in order to communicate with him?

In Part Two "The Sieve and the Sand" of the novel Fahrenheit 451, Montag travels to Faber's house trying to find meaning in th...