Pages 3-22

In the beginning of the novel Night by Elie Wiesel, life is normal for the people in Sighet, Transylvania. Eliezer, the narrator and main character, continues his studies with his Orthodox Jewish family. He has three sisters, and his mother and father are shopkeepers, his father being highly respected in the Jewish community. The town has high spirits for the war because of information that said how there was going to be more allied offensives in the near future. Everyone knew that the end of the war would be over very soon, and they would be safe. However, they were wrong. The Hungarians expel all of the foreign Jews in the town, including Moshe the Beadle, Eliezer's teacher. But, he escapes his attempted murder by the Gestapo and comes back to the town to warn everybody. Nobody believes him, and in 1944 the Nazi's invaded the town and began to increasingly oppress the Jews. Eventually, the Nazi's begin to deport the Jews in groups.

From the very beginning of this book, it is very easy to tell that something is going to go wrong for the town of Sighet. From their relaxed nature about their danger and the war, they put theirselves at a serious risk which eventually becomes a reality. But even when the Germans do come into the town, the Jews become accustomed to their presence and do not mind it. That is, until the Nazi's begin to deport the Jews. Their attitude changes from comfort to fear of the situation that they are put in, and their once somewhat distant thoughts of danger have becaome a reality.

'"The time has come...you must leave all this..." The Hungarian police used their rifle butts, their clubs to indiscriminately strike old men and women, children and cripples. One by one, the houses emptied and the streets filled with people carrying bundles. By ten o'clock, everyone was outside. The police were taking roll calls, once, twice, twenty times. The heat was oppressive. Sweat streamed from people's faces and bodies.'

In this first section of Night, the surprise and horror that were brought to the Jews from the Germans is very evident. They went from living their normal lives with optimistic thoughts about the war to being taken by the Nazi's. It truly became a struggle to survive for the Jewish citizens. They had to fight for everything that was important to them, including food, water, freedom, religion, and most importantly, their lives. Just like life, they had no idea what was going to happen until something actually did happen.