Elie Wiesel's experience beginning in Sighet and ending with his liberation at Buchenwald represents a transformation that can be observed in various ways. Here are three specific examples of this transformation:
1. Loss of Innocence: When Elie and his family are first deported from Sighet to Auschwitz, they are full of hope and trust that things will improve. Elie is just a young boy at the time, and he is still very innocent and naive. However, as he witnesses the horrors of the concentration camp firsthand, he begins to lose his innocence and become more aware of the evil that exists in the world. By the time he reaches Buchenwald, he has seen and experienced so much trauma that he is no longer the innocent boy he once was.
2. Dehumanization: As Elie spends more time in the concentration camps, he and the other prisoners are subjected to a variety of dehumanizing experiences. They are stripped of their clothing and possessions, forced to shave their heads, and given identification numbers instead of names. They are also subjected to brutal physical and emotional abuse by the SS guards, which further dehumanizes them. As a result of these experiences, Elie begins to feel like he is no longer a human being, but rather an object to be used and abused by others.
3.
Loss of Faith: Elie's faith is an important part of his identity at the beginning of the book. He is deeply religious and believes in God's goodness and mercy. However, as he witnesses the atrocities of the concentration camps, he begins to question his faith and wonders how a loving God could allow such things to happen. By the time he is liberated from Buchenwald, Elie has lost his faith completely, and he feels like he can no longer believe in God or any kind of higher power. This loss of faith represents a major transformation in Elie's character, as it fundamentally alters his worldview and his sense of self.