In the book Night, Elie Wiesel used extensive symbolism to develop a dark and depressing atmosphere that carried throughout the whole novel.  Elie Wiesel used this darkness to show how dreadful the holocaust really was.  The holocaust was such a dark time in human history and the symbolic title of the story Night fits well.

The first symbol Elie uses to create a dark atmosphere is the numbered tattoos.  The number on the tattoo became like a name to Elie.  Whenever the Nazis would speak to him, he was always just a number.  The numbered tattoo showed that the Nazis no longer thought of him as a real human being.  He was just a number to be treated however they pleased.  This symbol of dehumanization creates a dark atmosphere in Night.

The next symbol Elie uses to create a dark and depressing atmosphere is the crematories.  The crematory was the guillotine hanging over Elie’s head throughout the whole story.  If he didn’t work, or just looked sickly, he could be thrown into the crematory.  If he caused any trouble, he could be thrown into the crematory.  The crematory was the symbol of death for everyone at the concentration camp.  The crematory created a feeling of impending death which contributed to the dark and depressing atmosphere.

The last symbol Elie used was when his father gave him a spoon and a knife.  Amazingly, this was his inheritance.  The man was so stripped of all his belongings that his last possessions to give his son were a spoon and a knife.  This shows how Elie’s father was sure he was going to die, and wanted to give what little earthly possessions he had to his son.  This hopelessness adds to the dark atmosphere created by the author.

Elie Wiesel developed a dark, terrifying atmosphere in his autobiographical novel Night through the use of several symbols because he wanted the readers to understand how truly abominable the holocaust was and to raise awareness about the Holocaust so that something like that never happens again.  Most authors develop specific atmospheres in their writing because they want their readers to take away a certain message.  Elie was showing us the atrocities of the Holocaust through his story Night.  It should never be forgotten what happened to these people, and men like Elie Wiesel help keep the story alive.