Elie's near-death experience after the camp's liberation
is an example of situational irony. After losing his sister, mother, and father, after
suffering beatings and malnourishment, after being hospitalized for a serious foot
infection, and after enduring a overnight marathon in freezing conditions, Elie should
be able to begin the emotional and physical recovery process. However, when he finally
has his freedom--something that he survived for--he is unable to enjoy it because his
physical and mental health are so dissipated that he is hospitalized and nearly dies.
Elie's situation near the end of Night is not all that different
from his father's, for his dad makes it through quite a bit of the horrific camp
experience before succumbing to death. If he had been able to live a brief time more,
then he would have most likely been able to get the medical treatment and freedom that
he needed and longed for. Both Elie and his father experience the dark irony of being so
close to freedom but not being able to enjoy it.
Wiesel
wisely juxtaposes his illness at the end of Night with his
spiritual death. When he sees himself in the mirror, he not only witnesses the physical
changes wrought on him by the Holocaust; he also recognizes the empty, soulless eyes of
one who has lost his faith. Thus, while he survives physically, Elie's spiritual being
is a corpse to him--another example of irony.
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