| The symbolism behind fire is seen throughout Night, often used to portray the Nazi’s power and cruelty. The crematoriums that the Nazis used to burn the Jews are mentioned frequently, especially when Eliezer enters the concentration camp for the first time. On the way towards Auschwitz-Birkenau, a woman named Madame Schächter receives several crazed premonitions of fire and destruction. These premonitions symbolize the horror of the crematoriums that they would encounter once at the concentration camps. Fire can also be seen as a somewhat theological symbol in Night. In the Bible, God is seen as the supreme creator and destroyer of all things. He wields the power of fire, as seen in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra by “fire and brimstone”, the angel from God wielding a flaming sword, and the pain of fire and burning in hell, or Gehenna. In Night, however, it is the enemies of God who wield the power of fire to torment and punish the innocent. This reversal in the control of fire symbolizes the confusing, upside down world that the Jews were living in (Night: Themes, Motifs, and Symbols). | |
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