Question

How does the author create a complex picture of the Blockälteste? What impact does Wiesel’s word choice have on tone in this passage?

Answer 1

Frankl reacted to his Holocaust experience by theorizing that the most important thing in life is not to find happiness but to find meaning. This relates to Elie Wiesel's reaction to what he went through in Night in that Wiesel drew from those negative experiences. They are what influenced to him not to be a bystander, what influenced him to speak out on the perils of indifference. I think Wiesel would agree with Frankl's approach to life, as it seems that beating indifference and helping someone else can be synonymous with finding meaning in your life. However, I think his qualification would be that meaning leads to happiness, both for the person who is finding meaning and the person who is benefiting from the other's search for meaning.