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Elie Wiesel Dehumanization

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Dehumanization is the act of process of reducing people to objects that do not deserve the treatment accorded humans. The Nazis dehumanized the Jews because they blamed the Jews for all the misfortunes that had befallen Germany. The Germans dehumanized many Jews during the Holocaust, the mass murder of millions of people leading up to and during WWII.

For example, at the beginning of the novel the Jewish community of Sighet is forced to evacuate from their homes. Later they are forced to sit crowded together in wagons that have no space to move around in. A Nazi officer said to them, “‘There are eighty of you in this wagon,’ added the German officer. ‘If anyone is missing, you’ll all be shot, like dogs...’” (Wiesel 24). This quote shows the …show more content…
Mental dehumanization often causes irreparable damage, more so than physical and emotional dehumanization. For example, disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder are permanent. This relates to the world because today an increasing percentage of people are developing post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, Holocaust survivors’ memories will never go away. Mental dehumanization takes a toll on Eliezer. However, physical dehumanization takes the biggest toll on Eliezer. For example, the author states, “The Kapos were beating us again, I no longer felt the pain.” (Wiesel 36). In addition, the author states, “I no longer felt anything except the lashes of the whip… Only the first really hurt.” (Wiesel 57). These quotes show that Eliezer’s body goes through so much pain that he goes numb to it. Near the end of his time at Auschwitz, Eliezer says, “In the early dawn light, I tried to distinguish between the living and those who were no more. But there was barely a difference.” (Wiesel 98). This is significant because it shows that Eliezer and the other victims were so sick and malnourished that it was difficult to differentiate between the living and the dead. At the end

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