Night and The Merchant of Venice- Vompare and/or Contrast

The novel Night by Ellie Wiesel can be compared and contrasted with The Merchant of Venice in a multitude of ways. Characters and reoccurring themes can be compared through out both works of litterateur. The Merchant of Venice is a classic Shakespearian novel which has the usual characters and the common “happy ending” love story. Night, on the other hand is a holocaust story told in first person that references to the experiences of an individual who lived through the Holocaust. There are literal and figurative comparisons that can be drawn from both stories. These two sorties may sound very different but they actually have many similarities.

Racism towards the Jewish religion was a very evident issue in both of the Novels. Although Racism was much more evident in Night, Shylock, an important character in The Merchant of Venice was discriminated upon in the Shakespearian play. He was depicted with the stereotypical Jewish looks/features. He was shown as a very greedy man who even bargained to get a pound of flesh at one point in the novel. Shylock was often times compared to or thought of as the devil. This can relate to Night because all of the Jews in Europe (including Ellie) were forced to work in concentration camps. They were being killed by the thousands. Hitler’s goal was to eliminate Jews from the face of the earth. In both stories, the Jews were discriminated upon by perpetrators. (Actual people were perpetrators in Night, while Shakespeare was somewhat of a perpetrator in The Merchant of Venice)

Another comparison that can be made between the two stories was the character comparison of Portia and Ellie. It seemed that both of these two characters took on the role of both savior as well as victim. Ellie was forced to leave his home and everything he loved and was put in to a concentration camp. He was in a camp with his father and was separated from the rest of his family. Ellie was a victim of the Nazi’s and SS officers. At times he also took on the role of Savior. He tried to protect his father and encouraged him to look his best for inspection days. With out the support and love Ellie’s father receives from Ellie, he may not have had the faith to continue living. So in a sense, Ellie was a savior. Portia also takes on similar roles in the Merchant of Venice. She is not treated like a victim to the same extent that Ellie is, but she faces some difficulties in her life as well. Her father has designed Portia’s marriage so that her suitor must choose a casket which has a picture of her in it. This may not allow her to marry the man of her dreams. Later in the play, Portia appears to take on the role of savior. At the court, where Antonio must give Shylock a pound of his blood, Portia arrives as a lawyer and influences the case greatly. Antonio is the best friend of her new husband, Bassanio. If Antonio were to be killed, it would place a great burden on the marriage of Portia and Bassanio. She brings up during the case that the deal made between Antonio and Shylock does not allow Shylock to spill any of Antonio’s blood while he takes his pound of flesh. Thus, Shylock does not know what to do and ends up losing the case as well as a lot of money. Portia saved the life of Antonio and he was very gratuitous to her.

The next comparison that can be made between these to stories is the fact that both stories end positively and with a conflict that has been resolved. At the end of Night, The Nazi’s plans were spoiled by the Americans and all of the Jews were free. Ellie went on to live in freedom. In the play Merchant of Venice, Shylock lost his case, which was a positive for the protagonists in the story. All of the characters “lived happily ever after”

The last comparison that can be made between the two stories is the simple fact that they were both tenth grade level books that are being read in Mr. Juliani’s language arts class. All though Night and the Merchant of Venice seem like two completely different stories they have a lot of similarities. (Don’t get me wrong, they also have a ton of differences as well). The plot of both stories was captivating. Both stories were very intriguing and taught many valuable themes.

By Matt Soffer