Setting and Characters
Where does Elie live in the beginning of the novel?
Sighet, Romania
What restrictions were placed on Jewish people as German control increased?
Curfew, wearing yellow stars, restricted movements/ghettos.
How are the Jewish people transported from Sighet?
In overcrowded cattle cars.
What does the inscription on the Auschwitz gate say, and why is it ironic?
"Work makes you free." It's ironic because work there led to death, not freedom.
How does Elie's faith begin to change during these chapters?
Who is Moshe the Beadle, and what role does he play in Elie's life?
He is Elie's teacher/mentor of the Jewish religion.
Describe Elie's relationship with religion at the beginning of the novel.
He is deeply devout and studies the Talmud and Kabbalah with passion.
What does Mrs. Schachter repeatedly scream about on the train?
She screams about fire and flames.
What does "Night" begin to symbolize by the end of Chapter 3? Name the device.
How do Elie's parents influence his mindset during their deportation?
They try to remain calm and keep the family together as long as possible.
Why is Moshe deported early in the story?
He's a foreign Jewish person expelled from Sighet when other foreign Jewish people are deported.
How do the Jewish people of Sighet feel about being moved into the ghettos?
They are hopeful and think it's temporary or for their own protection.
How do the other passengers react to Mrs. Schachter's visions?
They tie her up and beat her to silence her.
How is the repetition in "Never Shall I Forget" powerful?
It emphasizes the trauma and unforgettable suffering.
How do the Nazis dehumanize the Jewish people during transport and arrival?
They force them into overcrowded cattle cars. They strip them, shave their heads, and tattoo numbers on them.
What happens when Moshe returns from Sighet?
He warns everyone that the Nazis are killing Jewish people, but no one believes him.
What is ironic about how calm the townspeople remain before deportation?
They believe nothing bad will happen even as signs of danger grow clear.
What is the irony of Mrs. Schachter's visions?
She was actually foreshadowing the crematory fires of Birkenau.
Describe the irony at the end of Chapter 1 with the Gestapo officers.
They smile and act pleasant while overseeing mass deportations.
How would you describe the tone of these chapters?
Fearful, tragic, and foreboding.
How does the town of Sighet react to Moshe's warnings, and why?
They ignore him, thinking he's exaggerating or crazy because they don't want to believe the horrors.
What does Elie's father do for a living?
He is a shopkeeper and a respected member of the Jewish community.
What happens when Elie and his father arrive at Birkenau?
They are separated from Elie's mother and sisters and sent into different lines for selection.
Identify one image or object from the chapters that carries symbolic meaning.
Fire- symbolizes destruction, death, and loss of faith and humanity.
What event in these chapters most changed Elie's life forever?
Being separated from his family upon arrival at Birkenau.