Why, do you suppose, Wiesel directs more of his anger toward God than the Nazis? Traditionally, Rosh Hashanah is a time for celebration, marking the beginning of the Jewish New Year. Why, then, is Wiesel afraid of having to wish his father a happy new year? When the elder Wiesel hastily gives his son a knife and spoon, what two words does Elie Wiesel use in his narration to describe these items? What is his tone here? What lesson can be drawn from the passage describing Akiba Drumer? At first, staying in the infirmary seems good, as Wiesel is given white sheets, better food, and time away from his usual grueling work. Why, though, should he not want to stay too long in the infirmary? After the evacuation of the camp has been ordered, Wiesel and his father decide not to stay in the infirmary and instead join the main group being marched to a different camp. What fear drives them to make this choice? Two days after the evacuation, what actually happens to the patients who stayed? What unexpected moment from the evacuation shows that the inmates retained their humanity in spite of being treated no better than animals by their guards? Given the snowy weather and Wiesel’s statement that "it seemed as though an even darker night was waiting for us on the other side," what do you think is going to happen next?

In the spring of 1944, the Nazis occupy Hungary. Not long afterward, a series of increasingly repressive measures are passed, and the Jews of Eliezer’s town are forced into small ghettos within Sighet.

The Jewish arrivals are stripped, shaved, disinfected, and treated with almost unimaginable cruelty. Eventually, their captors march them from Birkenau to the main camp, Auschwitz.

The prisoners are forced to watch the hanging of fellow prisoners in the camp courtyard. On one occasion, the Gestapo even hang a small child who had been associated with some rebels within Buna. Because of the horrific conditions in the camps and the ever-present danger of death, people were worried.

After months in the camp, Eliezer undergoes an operation for a foot injury. While he is in the infirmary, however, the Nazis decide to evacuate the camp because the Russians are advancing and are on the verge of liberating Buna.