In the first chapters of Elie Wiesel's Night, what themes emerge in regard to humanity, and where in the text do you see these themes emerging?

In chapters 1 and 2 of Elie Wiesel's Night, different themes emerge in regards to humanity. In chapter 1, the main theme is denial. Despite ever worsening conditions and the opportunity to flee, Elie's family and the other Jews of Sighet cling to hope. The characters' beliefs might seem delusional to the reader, but as these men and women have no idea about the horrors that await them, their denial about the situation is...

In chapters 1 and 2 of Elie Wiesel's Night, different themes emerge in regards to humanity. In chapter 1, the main theme is denial. Despite ever worsening conditions and the opportunity to flee, Elie's family and the other Jews of Sighet cling to hope. The characters' beliefs might seem delusional to the reader, but as these men and women have no idea about the horrors that await them, their denial about the situation is not completely unfounded.

In chapter 2, the main theme is dehumanization. Stripped of their possessions, the Jews of Sighet are loaded into cattle cars for transportation to Auschwitz. Throughout the journey Mrs. Schachter raves on about a fire only she can see. Her madness alludes to the fate shared by many of the men, women, and children standing around her: the ovens at Auschwitz. Though further dehumanization occurs in later chapters, chapter 2 sets the stage for what is to come.