Crossing Pasts

After finishing Voltaire's Candide, I couldn't help but notice that there are examples that can be related to Elie Wiesel’s Night. From the plot to the characters, there is something familiar between both novels.

The characters of both novels can be compared for their personality and their role in the book. Starting with Moshe the Beadle in Night, he in the novel started out as Elie’s mentor and philosopher, teaching him all about Judaism. His personality shows great caring for Elie and for his fellow friends of the village. Moshe the Beadle can be compared to Pangloss, Candide’s tutor, who lectured him on the ‘best of al possible worlds.’ His personality being a bit more satirical due to Voltaire’s ways shows his interest in cause and effect. Both of them have had a great influence on the main character of both novels from teaching them theories and stories to giving them advise on how to survive in the future. I could add that both of them have returned from the “dead.” Moshe the Beadle returning to the village as the only survivor of a camp and Pangloss returning after being “hanged.”

Candide and Elie share their same goals, saving their loved ones from disaster. In Night, Elie is committed to saving his family from the concentration camp in any way possible. He fights starvation, torture and desperation as he survives through the horrible experiences of the Holocaust. Candide has had nothing but bad luck. As Elie, his only priority is to marry Lady Cunégonde and escape the horrible events that are occurring in Europe. He is tortured, starved and tricked throughout his journey. At the end, their long and hard work to complete their goal and survive is unfulfilled. Despite surviving, Elie did not manage to save his family and Candide was unsatisfied with Lady Cunégonde. A bitter taste was left after going so far.

As of the plot, the constant move of the characters changed perspective and feeling to the reader. Elie’s move between camps is parallel to Candide’s voyages from continent to continent, each destination being somewhat different for the character and the reader.

Although both novels are different from each other, one being a memoir and another a satirical novel, their similarities can show that reality may not always be a happy ending.