Wiesel has remarked that all of his books derive, in part, from his autobiography, Night (1958). Both Night and Dawn deal with the issue of Jews fighting back against their oppressors. In Night, Wiesel mentions that he was tempted to beat up a gypsy kapo who violently struck his father merely because the father had asked politely to use the bathroom; Wiesel's father, being newly interned in the concentration camp, did not realize the decorum (or lack of same) of his new surroundings, and his son yearned to protect him by fighting back. Dawn, which occurs after the Holocaust, shows a different side of Jewish retaliation because they no longer felt powerless. Dawn demonstrates that Jews realize the neces sity of revenge and retaliation, that is, of course, if the characters such as Gad, liana, and Elisha speak for the author.

Thus, Night and Dawn portray Jewish...