Top 5 Motifs in Night and The Pianist

MOTIFS FOR THE PIANIST
- The Wall: The relocation of Vladyslaw's family is the first time that the dreaded brick wall comes into the story. It is essentially the barrier between the 'normal' German society and the 'scum' Jewish society. It separates dullness and color, wealth and poverty, and what race is accepted and what race is not. Later on, after the Jews are deported to the concentration camps and Vladyslaw is left behind, he escapes the Jewish slave labour and crosses the brick wall. He now lives with the Aryan Germans, on the other side. However, he is living in such fear of being caught, that it is not much better than the side he was originally on. He says sometimes he doesn’t really know what side he is on at all.
- Kindness in society: Although the story is incredibly disturbing in many ways, I found that it left me with a very strong sense of humanity. The first big case of this that we see is when Vladyslaw is saved from the deportation by the police officer. He, by all means, did not have to do this, and was the reason that Vladyslaw was still living after the holocaust. His German friends who found him houses after his escape also showed amazing generosity. SS officers would have very likely killed them for hiding a Jew. Lastly, the act that showed the greatest amount of benevolence was the German officer that discovered Vladyslaw living in the deserted ghetto. He could have been shot right on the spot, but instead the officer talks to him, and then listens to him play the piano. Soon after, the officer brings him back bread, jam, a can opener, and gave him his jacket. If human kindness had a form, I believe this would be it.
- Things that are otherwise taken for granted: There are endless examples of things that he and his family took for granted before the holocaust. These include: family and friends, warm shelter (including beds and couches), safe shelter, food, bathing and cleanliness, warm clothing, etc. We see Vladyslaw without these essential things for almost the entirety of the movie. Which leads to the next motif…
- Resourcefulness: Due to the fact that Vladyslaw is a Jew hiding in the streets of heavily guarded Warsaw, he is constantly being put in hard situations and is forced to deal with them to the best of his ability. When he is working in the Jew slave camp, he manages to sneak guns into the camp for the rebel force. Later on , after he manages to find places to reside for the time being, he finds himself in a desperate search for any food and water. In the deserted hospital, he is able to drink some of the gross looking bucket water, and manages to find a few scraps of food and cooks it over a fire he made. Even in his harsh situation, he is able to keep himself clothed, fed, and alive.
- Loneliness: Vladyslaw originally didn’t want to be left by himself back in Warsaw, without his family. We can see this because when he was pulled out of the crowd, he panics and tries to reconnect with his family (without success). He finds some friends first in the Jew slave camp, though his closest friend is shot in the head by an SS officer. He also finds friends outside of the ghetto, after his escape, who provide him with temporary shelter. These people also leave the city soon after. He is left completely alone. This is perfectly illustrated in the movie when he leaves the hospital and crosses the wall to the ghettos - it is like he is walking through a deserted ghost town.





MOTIFS FOR NIGHT
- Faith: the book starts with Elie talking about his exploration of religion as a 12 year old. He is enthralled with the mysticisms of the Jewish religion, and prays many times a day. Until Moshe the Beadle comes back from his deportation, telling the town about the horrors that are to come, he would put all of his known faith in his God. After that, however, his assurance in religion starts to deteriorate. After being moved to the ghettos, all of the towns people pray that things will be okay. Things get worse. After being informed that they are to be deported, they pray that it will not be bad. Things get even worse. Once they are put into trains and
- The impact of a few words: The first phrase that drastically changes Elie's was "Men to the left, women to the right". It meant the separation of him and his mother and sisters for the rest of his life. After being beaten by Idek, the young French girl comforts his and tells Elie that he should just hold on. This was very meaningful to him; it was almost like a light in amidst the darkness of the situation. Another time, similar to this one, was when the head of the block told the Jews to help each other and never give up. They were all in great need of reassurance, and these few words provided just a little bit of comfort for the prisoners.
- Silence: the silence/abandoning of the Jews by God. God was silent in the horrors of the Holocaust. The silence of the night that they experience at the camps, and how the prisoners must stay silent to avoid any punishment by the camp guards. They are also silent to each other as time in the camp passes. Instead of standing up for one another, they try to make themselves invisible. This comes up in the scene where his father dies, as his father is being beaten to death, he lays in silence, as to keep himself from being beaten as well.
- Father and Son relationships: when they first arrive at Birkenau, their main goal is to stay together. Elie says he could not imagine what would happen had they been separated. They share a very tight bond throughout the rest of the concentration camp, so much so that he states that his father is the only reason that he is still living, even amongst many fouled relationships. There were many cases, including Rabbi Eliahou's son intentionally losing his father in the run, and another son killing his father for bread on the train, that show the devastation that the concentration camps have done to these son's. In the end, Elie's relationship with his father ended tragically, as his father was beaten to death and his son did nothing to stop it.
- Wishful thinking: when the Nazi soldiers first inhabit Sighet, everyone is fairly optimistic - one lady even tells people one soldier gave her a gift. People still try to think the best after they are moved into ghettos, and even when they are beginning to be deported. Everyone is wary, but tell each other (and themselves) that everything will be okay. When the soldiers split up Elie and his mother and sisters, his father tells him that they are big girls and that they will be just fine. Another case of wishful thinking is when they are being moved camps, people always say the next one will be better.