Night Character Descriptions Flashcards
A German Jew and head of the block at Buna, he is kind and generous to the members of his block.
Alphonse
A fellow prisoner with a deep solemn voice, he sings Hasidic melodies at Birkenau. Deeply religious, he is optimistic that their imprisonment will not last long. As time passes, he loses faith.
Akiba Drumer
A storeowner and a well-respected Jewish community leader in Sighet before the deportation of the Jews. Elie develops a strong bond with his father as they go through the unforgettable journey through the death camps. He manages to survive the internment until the very end, where he dies of dysentery before the liberation of the camps.
Elie’s father (Shlomo)
Described as a typical SS officer (a cruel face, but not devoid of intelligence, and wearing a monocle), he uses a baton during the selection process. He decides who lives to work another day and who is sent to their deaths at the crematory. Cold, unaffected, and authoritative, he is the prototypical Nazi officer.
Dr. Josef Mengele
The main character and narrator of the story, Elie is fifteen years old when he is taken to the Nazi concentration camps. Elie and his father support each other throughout their internment. Elie’s father dies before the liberation, but Elie becomes a survivor and witness of the death camps. Elie’s narrative recounts the horrors of his nightmarish Holocaust experience.
Elie (Eliezer)
A Pole and former student from Warsaw, he is the foreman at Buna. He forces Elie to give up the gold crown on his tooth by tormenting Elie’s father.
Franek
A girl with whom Elie works next to at a warehouse at Buna. When Elie is beaten by Idek the Kapo, the French girl helps him and tells him to keep his anger for another day. Years later in Paris, Elie Wiesel runs into her in the Metro. After reminiscing about the past, Elie finds out that she is, as he had thought, Jewish.
French girl (Jewess)
An overseer at Buna, he is described as having fits of madness. He beats Elie and his father on different occasions. In one incident, Elie discovers him with a girl. As punishment, he gives him 25 strokes of the whip.
Idek the Kapo
A bespectacled Polish Jew, he is a violinist in the orchestra at Buna. At Gleiwitz, amidst a barrack full of dying men, Elie hears him play his violin one last time. In the morning, Elie finds him dead, his violin crushed.
Juliek
A woman of about fifty with a ten year old child. On the train ride to Auschwitz, she starts to lose her mind. She constantly warns the passengers of the fire, flame, and furnace. Her words prove prophetic, as the other Jews witness the flames of the crematory and the smell of burning flesh upon arrival of Birkenau.
Madame Schachter
A friend of Elie’s father, he is one of the strongest in the camp. Elie’s father calls for his help when Elie is choked during the night. Near the end of the trip to Buchenwald, he starts to lose hope and tells Elie’s father that he cannot make it. He dies as they arrive at Buchenwald.
Meir Katz
A rabbi of a small Polish community, he is described as beloved by everyone in the camp, including the Kapos. Known to shine with inner purity, his words always bring comfort to the people. As he goes around looking for his son, Elie remembers how he had seen the rabbi’s son abandon him during the winter march. Elie prays that he does not become like the rabbi’s son.
Rabbi Eliahou
A poor Jewish mystic in the town of Sighet who becomes Elie’s spiritual mentor and friend. In 1942, Moshe is deported to Poland where he witnesses the mass extermination of the Jews. He manages to escape and goes back to Sighet to warn them of danger. No one listens to him.
Moshe the Beadle
A relative of the Wiesels, he questions Elie’s father about the whereabouts of his wife and two little boys. Elie lies and tells them that he has heard of them, which makes him happy. He brings Elie extra rations of food until he hears the truth about his family. Elie does not hear from him again.
Stein of Antwerp
Two Czech brothers whose parents are exterminated at Birkenau. They become friends with Elie at Buna. Together with Elie, they plan to go to Palestine after the war.
Yossi and Tibi
