eliewiesel-nightfulltext_3_26_2014_3_23_04_pm

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IN THE WAGON where the bread had landed, a battle had ensued. Men were hurling themselves against each other, trampling, tearing at and mauling each other. Beasts of prey unleashed, animal hate in their eyes. An extraordinary vitality possessed them, sharpening their teeth and nails. A crowd of workmen and curious passersby had formed all along the train. They had undoubtedly never seen a train with this kind of cargo. Soon, pieces of bread were falling into the wagons from all sides. And the spectators observed these emaciated creatures ready to kill for a crust of bread. A piece fell into our wagon. I decided not to move. Anyway, I knew that I would not be strong enough to fight off dozens of violent men! I saw, not far from me, an old man dragging himself on all fours. He had just detached himself from the struggling mob. He was holding one hand to his heart. At first I thought he had received a blow to his chest. Then I understood: he was hiding a piece of bread under his shirt. With lightning speed he pulled it out and put it to his mouth. His eyes lit up, a smile, like a grimace, illuminated his ashen face. And was immediately extinguished. A shadow had lain down beside him. And this shadow threw itself over him. Stunned by the blows, the old man was crying: "Meir, my little Meir! Don't you recognize m e … Y o u ' r e killing your father… I have bread…for you too… for you too…" He collapsed. But his fist was still clutching a small crust. He wanted to raise it to his mouth. But the other threw himself on him. The old man mumbled something, groaned, and died. Nobody cared. His son searched him, took the crust of bread, and began to devour it. He didn't get far. Two men had been watching 101
him. They jumped him. Others joined in. When they withdrew, there were two dead bodies next to me, the father and the son. I was sixteen. IN OUR WAGON, there was a friend of my father's, Meir Katz. He had worked as a gardener in Buna and from time to time had brought us some green vegetables. Less undernourished than the rest of us, detention had been easier on him. Because he was stronger than most of us, he had been put in charge of our wagon. On the third night of our journey, I woke up with a start when I felt two hands on my throat, trying to strangle me. I barely had time to call out: "Father!" Just that one word. I was suffocating. But my father had awakened and grabbed my aggressor. Too weak to overwhelm him, he thought of calling Meir Katz: "Come, come quickly! Someone is strangling my son!" In a few moments, I was freed. I never did find out why this stranger had wanted to strangle me. But days later, Meir Katz told my father: "Shlomo, I am getting weak. My strength is gone. I won't make it…" "Don't give in!" my father tried to encourage him. "You must resist! Don't lose faith in yourself!" But Meir Katz only groaned in response: "I can't go on, S h l o m o ! … I can't help i t … I can't go o n … " My father took his arm. And Meir Katz, the strong one, the sturdiest of us all, began to cry. His son had been taken from him during the first selection but only now was he crying for him. Only now did he fall apart. He could not go on. He had reached the end. 102
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Also by Elie Wiesel DAWN DAY (previ
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ELIE W I E S E L TRANSLATED FROM TH
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In memory of my parents and of my l
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why not for others more deserving t
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the wisdom of their elders understa
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"Well?" The SS had flown into a rag
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were alive when they were thrown in
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Foreword by François Mauriac FOREI
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man—this set of circumstances wou
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Almighty to whom my life had been b
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2
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One day I asked my father to find m
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AND THEN, one day all foreign Jews
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news: the daily bombings of Germany
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made no offensive remarks, and some
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small Jewish r e p u b l i c … A
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"There are rumors," my father said,
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By eight o'clock in the morning, we
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My father had accompanied the depor
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We finally arrived at our destinati
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and the wine and swallowed the food
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German Army. Anyone who still owns
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Our nerves had reached a breaking p
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strolling down the platform, asking
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Behind me, an old man fell to the g
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Tell him that I was a student? "Far
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mained of my strength in order to b
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Suddenly someone threw his arms aro
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"And now, stop moving!" There was n
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"EVERYBODY outside!" A dozen or so
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NO SOONER HAD WE CLIMBED into our b
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I knew nothing about them…Since 1
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"Mother is still a young woman," my
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most important thing is not to be a
Page 75 and 76: gerous. Only Idek, the Kapo, occasi
Page 77 and 78: "What are you going to do, sir?" "I
Page 79 and 80: "Idek, the Kapo…the young Jewish
Page 81 and 82: This went on for two weeks. It was
Page 83 and 84: "Ten…eleven!…" His voice was ca
Page 85 and 86: and, with open mouth, thrust his he
Page 87 and 88: frightened. His manacled hands did
Page 89 and 90: The Oberkapo was arrested on the sp
Page 91 and 92: THE SUMMER was coming to an end. Th
Page 93 and 94: them from paradise. When You were d
Page 95 and 96: transferred me to another Kommando,
Page 97 and 98: Yes, we were ready. So were the SS
Page 99 and 100: "Let's have a moment of quiet. I ha
Page 101 and 102: quickly or not. I was afraid of fin
Page 103 and 104: We went off to work as usual, our b
Page 105 and 106: "Doctor?" "Yes?" "Will I be able to
Page 107 and 108: As for me, I was thinking not about
Page 109 and 110: TWO O'CLOCK in the afternoon. The s
Page 111 and 112: "Don't think, don't stop, run!" Nea
Page 113 and 114: a single bark. Houses with gaping w
Page 115 and 116: he lay down too, next to the corpse
Page 117 and 118: There was shouting outside, in the
Page 119 and 120: I thought he'd lost his mind. His v
Page 121 and 122: think that the Germans would run ou
Page 123 and 124: PRESSED TIGHTLY AGAINST one another
Page 125: WE RECEIVED no food. We lived on sn
Page 129 and 130: AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE CAMP, SS off
Page 131 and 132: The sirens began to wail. Alert. Th
Page 133 and 134: worldly, the face of a stranger. It
Page 135 and 136: THE FOLLOWING DAY, he complained th
Page 137 and 138: When I came down from my bunk after
Page 139 and 140: This was the end! Hitler was about
Page 141 and 142: 116
Page 143 and 144: perished? Do I have the right to ac
Page 145 and 146: Holy Land. Please understand my dee
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