Brainstorming: Similar Themes In Night And Sarah’S Key

Persevering as a result of optimism

In both novels the protagonist remains optimistic in their respective situations in order to find strength and motivation to continue pursuing their goals. Night: Eliezer believes no harm will come for him and his village even though the Jews were stripped of all valuables and the Germans controlled all aspects of their lives. This optimism is rooted in his faith in God as he believes God will save him and his people. -Eliezer and his father try to remain hopeful that Eliezer’s mom and sister are still alive and in the camp to give them motivation – Eliezer is hopeful that both he and his father will be able to survive and as a result his perseveres and encourages his father to keep moving on their death march.

Sarah’s Key: When her family arrives at the garage with other Jewish families Sarah believes it is just a misunderstanding and tries to make herself believe nothing is wrong and she will be home soon. -She clings onto the idea that Michel managed to escape and also met a French family willing to help him. These allows her to have the strength to keep pushing forward in order to find out what truly happens to him.

In both novels the characters overcome the horrors of war by staying optimistic and hopeful that their loved ones are still alive.

Loss of Innocence

In both novels the protagonist are stripped of their humanity and innocence very early on and come to the realization that the world is a cruel place and humans are capable of horrific acts of violence.

Night: Before Eliezer was forced into a concentration camp, he was a young, innocent and a strong believer in Judaism. He even studied mysticism and the texts of their sacred books.

The Germans come to take the people of his village to a concentration camp but he remains faithful in God and prays for God to save them. However, he soon witnesses the horrors of the war once he arrives at the camp with dead children being burned, people being shot because they are too weak or can’t work, and his father being constantly beat by both the fellow prisoners and the guards.

After the loss of his father, he realizes he lives in a cruel world and his once strong faith in God has diminished.

Sarah’s Key: Sarah was very innocent at the beginning believing she would be able to return home to get her brother-This innocence is quickly called into question in the stadium where she witnesses death and misery. She also realizes that the only reason her family was treated so poorly was because they were Jews-In the camp she started acting like more of an adult; she became cold, filled with hate as she could not comprehend why the Germans were doing what they were doing. The complete loss of innocence occurs when she finds her brother dead in the cupboard. She no longer smiles and is not the same person anymore. She is a shell of her former self.

The Destructive Power of Guilt

Night: Eliezer feels guilty that his father is being beat in front of him but he is doing nothing to prevent it-Eliezer considers abandoning his father but is immediately ashamed and guilty of his thoughts. This makes him realize he is no longer the person he was before entering the camp.

Eliezer also feels guilty because he was sleeping when his father called out to him that the Nazi’s were taking him away. Eliezer believes he was burned alive. This guilt of being able to do nothing to protect his father changes his outlook on life. He realizes the world is a cruel and cold place where sons turn on their father in order for self-preservation.

Sarah’s Key: Michel’s death haunts Sarah as she believes she was responsible for it and the image of his green body huddling in the cupboard haunts her for the rest of her life. The key is a symbol of her guilt towards Michel and a representation of her love for him. She refuses to realize it wasn’t her fault as she was only a little girl when this happened and holds onto the key.

Sarah’s diary and her conversations with Michel shows how badly the guilt has affected her life i. e. her moving to America to forget what happened in France-Sarah ends up killing herself because of what happened to Michel.