Life is Beautiful

         Similarities between Life is Beautiful and Night were that both father and son have very strong bonds/relationships. In Life is Beautiful, the relationship between Guido and Joshua was very strong and they were inseparable. Guido sacrificed so much for Joshua which shows how much he loves him. In the book, Night, Elie did not want to lose his father and didn't want them to get separated. Elie doesn't abandon his father and also Elie takes care of his father when he gets sick. Another similarity between Night and Life is Beautiful is that in Night, Elizer and his father were separated from his mother/wife. In Life is Beautiful, Guido and Joshua were separated from Dora, Joshua's mother and Guido's wife. Also, they were separated once they got off the cattle car.
         Differences between Life is Beautiful and Night is that in Life is Beautiful, Joshua wasn't killed instantly. In Night, Elizer states that when they arrive at the concentration camp, children and elders were sent to showers and gas chambers because they were either too weak or too old to do labor work. Joshua somehow wasn't seen by any of the SS officers and was well hidden. Another difference between Night and Life is Beautiful is that in Night, many prisoners were killed on sight if they did something wrong. While in Life is Beautiful, Guido was taken behind a building and then was shot. He wasn't killed on sight, instead he was killed discreetly. The SS officers in Night were portrayed as aggressive and merciless while in Life is Beauitful, they were still very strict, but they were less harsh than the SS officers depicted in Night.
          The mood and tone between Night and Life is Beautiful is quite different. One difference is that Night doesn't have humor at all. There was tons of humor throughout the movie, though. The book was a bit more serious than the movie. Even though the topic is very serious, the humor in the movie was very powerful and showed the relationship between a father and a son. Both Night and Life is Beautiful have different perspectives. In Night, the perspective is shown through Eliezer's eyes and what he sees and goes through. In Life is Beautiful, the perspective is more focused on Guido and what he sacrifices on a daily basis.
         Life is depicted beautiful in the movie by showing the love Guido has for his son, Joshua. One example is the fact that Guido made many sacrifices for Joshua just to make him happy and suppress him from the dark truth. Guido tried his very best to keep Joshua hidden and technically keep him alive. Guido is an amazing father who truly puts his son and his wife before himself. Another way life is depicted beautiful is the relationship between Dora and Guido. Guido falls in love with Dora and is mesmerized by her beauty that he goes out of his way to see her and talk to her. He eventually marries her and they have Joshua. Also, even in the concentration camp, Guido would go out of his way to make sure that Dora knows that he and Joshua were alive and okay. Dora and Guido, in my opinion, are the definition of true love.
         Life is Beautiful is such an amazing movie, I'm glad I got to watch it. This movie is so beautiful and well put together. This movie definitely tugged at my heart strings. It's amazed me how the movie starts off happy and content and then slowly gets depressing. That was pretty neat and clever. All in all, I love this movie and I'll definitely be watching it again.

Night by Elie Wiesel

          Throughout the book, Eliezer loses faith in God and is treated inhumanely. In the beginning of the book, Elie was very pious and was connected to God. On page one it states, “One day I asked my father to find me a master to guide me in my studies of the cabbala” (Wiesel 1).  This shows that Eliezer is going further and seeks a mentor to get closer to God and his religion. Another quote on page one states, “During the day I studied the Talmud, and at night I ran to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the Temple” (Wiesel 1). This quote explains that Eliezer is passionate and emotional about praying. His relationship with God is very touching and important to him.
          Towards the end of the book, he loses faith in God and questions him. Wiesel states, “Why should I bless His name? The Eternal, Lord of the Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for?” (31). This quote explains that Eliezer is questioning God and refuses to praise his name because God isn't taking action. Another quote that shows that Eliezer loses faith in God states, “What are You, my God? What does Your grandeur mean, Master of the Universe, in the face of all this cowardice, this decay, and this misery? Why do you go on troubling these poor people’s wounded minds, their ailing bodies?” (Wiesel 63). This quote shows Eliezer's hostility towards God. God is letting all these people die and get hurt and isn't doing anything about it. Eliezer at the moment is angry at God and yet again, questions him.
          While in the concentration camp, Elie and all the other Jews were treated inhumane and lower than a human. They weren’t called by their names, they wouldn’t give them food and the necessities needed to live, and they were treated as if they were animals. “...a workman took a piece of bread out of his bag and threw it onto a wagon. There was a stampede. Dozens of starving men fought each other to the death for a few crumbs. The German workmen took a lively interest in this spectacle” (Wiesel 95). The German workmen think it’s very amusing that these starving Jews are fighting over food as if they were animals. Clearly, they aren't giving these starving men the basic needs to live/survive. Also, Eliezer and other Jews weren't called by their names. They were given tattoos instead. “I became A-7713. After that I had no other name” (Wiesel 39). This was a way to dehumanize Elie.
          Eliezer has gone through many transformations and changes throughout the book. He transforms in a negative way impacting his faith in God and his life in general. Eliezer can never take back what he's gone through and what he's seen. Eliezer is clever and courageous and I adore that about him.

Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Bantam Books, 1958. Print.