Question

In Elie Wiesel's Night, Mrs. Schachter, the "madwoman," repeatedly screams that she sees flames. When the train arrives at the concentration camp, the other Jews see that in this case she is right: they see the flames from the crematorium chimney. What effect does this image have in the memoir?

Answer 1

For Elie and his father, the realization that not only the fire was real, but that it came from crematoria used to burn people, was devastating.

Wiesel was horrified upon the image of burning babies. He was terrified about the idea of a slow and painful death caused by the fire. Elie felt completely abandoned by the world and by his God, because they were allowing such dreadful things to happen.

Answer 2

It is chilling, the speculation and wonder about what was really happening is finally realized. Mrs. Schachter had disturbed the train care with what appeared to be ravings from a lunatic about a hellish scenario to come. And finally here it was, the unknown reality, becoming a known and nightmarish hell.