At first Moishe the Beadle kept to himself. A very poor man, he managed to avoid the scorn often heaped on the poor by staying out of people's way. Moishe had "mastered the art of rendering himself insignificant, invisible," Weisel writes. The reader becomes acquainted with Moishe through Elie, who has talked often with him about the mysteries of Kabbalah. Moishe's deportation from Sighet is the transformative moment in his life. He escapes a certain death and returns to the town with horrific tales of the atrocities committed against the deportees by the Gestapo. He is no longer "invisible," as he goes from house to house trying to warn the people of the fate that awaits deported Jews. But he is anguished to find that nobody will listen to him:
Moishe was not the same. The joy in his eyes was gone. He no longer sang. He no longer mentioned either God or Kabbalah. He spoke only of what he had seen...[He said] "I no longer care to live. I am alone. But I wanted to come back to warn you. Only no one is listening to me...."
Over time, Moishe withdrew again: "drifting through synagogue or through the streets, hunched over, eyes cast down, avoiding people's gaze." He is as shattered by the unwillingness of the people to heed his warnings as he was by his own deportation. When the Germans enter the town, and eventually begin arresting the Jews, Moishe comes to Elie's house, and shouts "I warned you," before quickly leaving. This is the last time Elie sees Moishe, who tried and failed to warn the Jews of Sighet that they faced utter destruction.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
In Elie Wiesel's Night, how does Moishe the Beatle change throughout the pages 3-22 (at first, then, finally)?
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