Theme of Survival in The Marrow Thieves and Night Essay Example

Upon all obstacles characters in literature and people in the world face, they can creatively escape their situation by demonstrating remarkable resolve and resourcefulness in regards to survival. Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night examines the terrifying circumstances that Jews had to suffer through at the hands of the unjust and brutal Nazis of Germany, specfically this is shown in the eyes of a young teenager and his conflict with faith in God. Cherie Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves illustrates the constant misfortune and violence Indigenous people have to deal with in a dystopian society during the year 2050, with the removal of their resources and cultural identity. Frenchie from the novel The Marrow Thieves and Elie from the memoir Night depict the theme of survival through maintaining familial bonds and placing their morality/values over acting indifferent. 

Firstly, although Frenchie experiences loss several times, like losing his dad and brother, he manages to overcome all threats through the power of friendship along preserving cultural connections. In particular, when Frenchie loses Mitch, he refuses to let him go, but understands that it was the only way for one of them to escape. Mitch exclaims, “Now. Move it. Francis” to show the deep family alliance they have, and Frenchie complies by responding “I couldn’t have him mad at me; he was all I had left.” (Dimaline 3). This signifies how crucial it is to think and act quickly in the midst of the presence of opposing forces. Additionally, the motif of the coming-to stories represents the generational trauma Miigwaan’s group had to deal with. For example, when RiRi finds pink boots in the resort, she utters that “she couldn’t believe her luck” due to that fact that she considers nothing surprising or eventful would occur in her life, so she “assumed the worst for” her “backstory” (Dimaline 95). These thoughts appearing in the mind of a young mature 7 year old shows the cycle of trauma that will never end, unless provisions and aid is brought or an intervening party is introduced. Furthermore, when Travis and Lincoln appear they depict the idea that no matter how much suffering you have endured, you can not be naive or trustworthy to your allies. Specifically, when Lincoln captures Miig and the group, Frenchie yells “They were traitors”, which is a huge revelation for him as he is in disbelief that he was “lulled to complacency by the color of skin” for “an accent that made home feel real” (Dimaline 132). The readers learn that people will go to any extent possible for their own selfishness. To summarize, obstacles are presented in Frenchie’s life through sacrificing essential elements in his life, coping with inevitable trauma, and the betrayal of his own allies in opposition to non-Indigenous people. 

Secondly, as Elie undergoes the horrors of the camps in Auschwitz-Birkenau the audience understands the undeniable risks they must offer for the sake of their own survival. The reader is also conflicted when they learn how the recruiters handled Minverva. When Elie’s mentor Moishe the Beadle arrives back from the deadly concentration camps, he gives no mention of “God or Kabbalah” (Wiesel 7). Instead, he pleads with Sighet to “listen to” him and was willing to shout “in synagogue”, a religious temple for the sake of keeping his community safe and sacred (Wiesel 7). This shows that people will not conform to warnings that may risk their life as they might be in denial of threats to come. As well, the reader is shown the wickedness of the Nazis, as Elie mentions “something was being burned there” as a “truck drew close” and it was revealed that it was full of “babies” that were being “thrown into flames” (Wiesel 34). This horrific action represents the theme of dehumanization and that they have no regard for human life that is invaluable to them. The Nazis beleive that the only purpose the Jews serve is for labour, and even at time they are proven to be a nuisance. Additionally, it is depicted how cruel they are when the young and lovely pipel is hanged on the gallows. At this moment, Elie has fully lost his faith in God as he replies to the question “where is God?” by mentioning that he was “here”, hanging “from this gallows” (Wiesel 65). The audience understands the unjust actions of the Nazi, and the complete disregard they have for life and culture. Furthermore, when the recruiters capture Minerva, the reader sees how corrupt they were to her, including to her Indigenous identity/belongings. Frenchie utters that she “barely recognized her '' as the “lines on her face were deep” and had no “long johns under skirts” or “no kerchief over her head” (Dimaline 210). It signifies how poorly society can treat Indigenous persons or have no respect for their traditions and customs. In summary, the challenging circumstances in Elie’s and Minerva’s life are presented through people ignoring the warnings from his mentor Moishe the Beadle, the terrifying loss of humanity illustrated by the Nazi soliders and Minerva’s cultural identity, and Elie’s loss of innoconce as he witness deaths which remove his faith in god.

In conclusion, Frenchie in the novel The Marrow Thieves and Elie in the memoir Night are significant works of literature that universally express the idea of what indifference can lead to. They demonstrate that dehumanization and violence affects someone’s hope, freedom, family connections, loss of faith and innocence. However, in spite of their hopeless situations, they manage to succeed in the end through perseverance by strengthening bonds within allies in their Indigenous community and emphasizing the vitality of morality over self-preservation. Although society pleads to intervene when any injustice occurs such as the natural resources of Indigenous people being abused or the external impacts the Holocaust caused, our true humanity is presented when we act upon those affected individuals.