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Moshe the Beadle sent to Poland
In June 1941, Moshe the Beadle and other foreign Jews are expelled to Poland. The deportation trains are handed over to the Gestapo at the Poland border. According to Moshe, Jews had to dig graves for themselves and Moshe escaped. This event is significant in the novel becuase Elie looks back in his life--all the mistakes he could have improved and the chances he had to escape these atrocities. -
Germans arrive in Sighet
Jews were forced to hand over their valuables, had to wear the Star of David at all times and couldn't go wherever they wanted. Also, the SS transfer the Jews to ghettos. This starts the relationship between the SS and Elie. Although this event occured, the Jews didn't think the SS will commit any atrocities, but soon, they will realize that they were wrong. -
Sighet Jews get deported
In the cars. Elie meets Madame Schacter, who screams throughout the day that she sees flames, and the others think she is hysterical. Looking back on the past, Elie realizes that she is the 2nd witness who gets ignored and realizes that she was not the hysterical one, but the others were. This shows that unsanity could be sanity and sanity could be unsanity. -
Jews arrive at Auschwitz
The women get seperated from the men. Elie sees a huge pit where the Jews are to be burned.Eliezer cannot believe this and believes that “humanity would never tolerate” such an atrocity. He starts to lose faith in God's justice, and doesn't recite the Kaddish. This night is important in the book because it starts Elie's disbelief in God and is the first time Elie sees atrocities around him. -
Stein arrives at Auschwitz
Stein asks Elie if his family is alright and Elie lies to him by saying his family is alright. He realizes the truth and never speaks to Elie again. This is a important event in the story because this is Elie's first try at helping other Jews in the camp. By telling Stein that his family is alright, he gives Stein the one thing that helps Elie survive: hope, and a desire to live. -
Elie arrives at Buna
Elie's life turns into a search of bread and soup and he starts avoiding trouble and violence to stay alive. He meets Juliek, a violinist, and Akiba Drumer, who still believes God will save them. This event is significant because it starts Elie's will to survive and the need to avoid violence because of selfish needs. -
Elie is asked to get his gold crown removed
He says that he is sick and postpones getting his gold crown removed Soon, the dentist is hanged for illegally trading the gold teeth. This is significant because this is yet another example of a lie that Elie told for his survival. -
Elie meets a French girl
After Idek the Kapo beats Elie, he meets a french girl who ofers some kindness. Elie remembers this because he runs into the same girl in Paris and realizes that she was Jew, and lied about being French. She worked in the warehouse as a laborer, but was not part of the concentration camp. -
Chlomo gets beaten by Idek the Kapo
Eliezer becomes angry at his father because he doesn't avoid Idek's anger. This is a important moment because changes in Elie begin to surface and survival continues to become a important theme in the story. -
Franek wants Elie's gold crown
Elie asks his father, and his father says not to give the gold crown. Franek mocks and beats Elie's father, until he gives it up to the dentist. Soon after, Idek and Franek are transferred. This is signficant because this shows the relationship between Elie and his father and their teamwork. -
Elie gets whipped
Elie sees Idek having sex.Idek publically whips Elie Wiesel. Elie soon loses consciousness. This shows us Elie's will to survive and his ignorance to his environment and Idek whipping him. -
Allied Raid of Buna
2 bowls of soup are left in the open, as a man risks his life to drink the soup. As he is about to drink the soup, he is shot and falls lifeless. The Nazis hang men who attempted to steal something. According to Eliezer, God has been murderd on the gallows as a child gets hanged. This shows that Elie doesn't believe in the justice of God anymore. -
Rosh Hashanah
Elie starts to believe that man is stronger to God. He cannot find a reason to bless God because justice is not being served. He doesn't believe that Jews are the chosen ones as they have only been chosen to be killed. This shows that Elie is alone and by himself as everybody else believes in God. -
Yom Kippur
Elie rebels against God by eating, while others fast in order to make amends for their sins. This shows that Elie barely believes in God, and is no longer a "Jew", as he doesn't fast on the Jewish New Year. -
2nd Selection
Elie worries that his dad might not pass the 2nd selection. Soon, his dad is to weak too work and it is decided that he wil be executed. Chlomo brings Elie his knife and spoon, as his legacy. This is significant as this strengthens the relationship between Chlomo and Elie. -
Selection for the Condemned
Elie's dad passes, but Akiba Drumer is not so lucky. The most religious Jew , loses his will to survive, and loses his faith. This shows that the people who didn't want to live soon died, and the concentration camps made the most religious into the rebellious non-Jews. -
Elie in Hospital
Elie undergoes an operation and believes that Jews in the hospital will die before evacuation. Therefore, they choose to be evacuated with the others. This is important because this is one of the moments in Elie's life, where he learns that he could have shortened his time in the concentration camp.
He could have been freed 4 months early if he would have stayed in the hospital. -
March to Buchenwald
Elie and Chlomo keep each other awake. Many of the other prisoners lose their will to survive and die. Rabbi Eliahou looks for his son, as Elie lies to Eliahou by telling him that he has not seen Eliahou's son. On the other hand, Elie sees Rabbi Eliahou's son abandon his father and Elie prays that he would never get to do that. Elie meets Juliek and wakes up to see that Juliek is dead. -
Locals throw bread on Train for Amusement
Jews fight each other for the food as an old manmanages to grab a piece. His son beats his dad for the bread. On the same day, Eli gets strangled from someone in the sleep as Chlomo's friend Meir Katz saves him. This is significant because Elie looks at how desperate the Jews are and sees how Jews have transformed a need for religion to a need for bread. -
Elie arrives in Buchenwald
Chlomo is very sick as Elie tries to help him stay alive. Chlomo is sick with dysentery as Elie gives him a will to live. This shows the relationship between Chlomo and Elie as they try to keep each other alive. -
The people around Elie try to convince him to leave his dad
Some of the prisoners steal Chlomo's food as Elie gives him proper food. The head of the camp tells him that Elie should focus on his own survival. This shows Elie drifting away from his father for his will to survive. -
Chlomo dies
Chlomo cries for water as the SS officer screams at Elie's father to be silent and beats him with a truncheon. Chlomo soon silences forever as he is taken to the crematory in the morning. Elie's selfishness acts and he does not cry when he realizes that his dad has been taken to the crematory, he instead feels relief. This is the moment when Elie finally drifts away from his dad forever. -
American army arrives in Buchenwald
In the month of April, the Nazis decide to kill most of the Jews left in the camp as the American army approaches. With just a few remaining, the Nazis decide to evacuate everyone. With a interruption of a air-raid, the American army arrives. Elie feels joyful as he is liberated but only thinks about bread and soup. This is significant because it marks the end of Elie's tale of survival.
