Dawn by Elie Wiesel: comprehension questions

Preface and Section I page vii-10

1. We learn in the preface from author Elie Wiesel that, while Night was autobiographical (non-
fiction), Dawn is a ___________________ story in a ____________________ setting,
making this in the genre of _________________________. (fill in blanks choosing from
options below:)
a. Character d. Historical Fiction
b. Fictional e. Non-Fictional
c. Biographical
2. According to Wiesel, why did he write the book?
3. The novel is told in _____ person.
a) 1st person b) 3rd person
4. What is the setting of the book? (time and place)
5. What does the narrator tell us he must do "tomorrow"?
6. A beggar tells the narrator that "night is purer than day." What is his reason?
7. Why is the morning execution of John Dawson taking place?
8. Who made this decision?
9. What reason does Gad continually give the narrator for not fretting about what he must do?

Section II, pages 11-20

10. Here we learn the narrator's name. What is it?
11. From which Nazi camp was he liberated?
12. Who recruited the narrator to fight for the Zion cause in Palestine?
13. What did the narrator tell his recruiter about the future?
14. What did Gad tell Elisha about the struggle between the English and the Movement (the
Jewish Resistance Movement in Palestine)?
15. What was the name of the Jewish man to be executed the next morning?
16. Why does Ilana, the Voice of Freedom, announce on the radio that the execution of John
Dawson would not be murder?

Section III p 21-30

1. In this section Elisha remembers their attack on the British military convoy. Summarize
what happened.
2. What were Gad, David ben Moshe and their fellow soldiers doing when ben Moshe was
captured?

Section IV p 31-43
3. What were Elisha and the others doing to kill time?
4. How had a laugh saved Elisha's life?
5. Why didn't Elisha want llana to call him "poor boy?"

Section V p44-65
6. Why did the room become stuffy?
7. Why did the crowd of ghosts want to see the execution?
8. Why didn't Elisha want to believe that John Dawson could be hungry or to watch him eat?
9. What did Elisha tell Ilana made him afraid?
10. Elisha felt as though the ghosts were judging him. What was his younger self's response to
his concern?
11. After Gad came up from listening to stories from Dawson, what did Elisha decide to do, and
why?

Section VI p66 to end

1. How does Elisha describe John Dawson in the first 2 paragraphs of this section?
2. How does John Dawson react to his first meeting with his executioner?
3. How old is Elisha?
4. How does John Dawson compare Elisha to his own son?
5. Whom did Elisha decide to think of while he prepare to kill John Dawson? Why?
6. What did John Dawson prepare and ask Elisha to deliver after his execution?
7. Briefly recount the story about Stefan. Why do you think Elisha recalled that story at this
moment?
8. Why did Elisha say he needed to hate John Dawson?
9. In the seconds before he was to die, John Dawson was smiling. Why was he?
10. How did Elisha react to John Dawson's smiling?
11. After the execution, Elisha declared he had killed, not John Dawson, but... whom? Why did
he say that?
12. Look again at the 2nd to last paragraph on page 5. THEN read the paragraph just before the
break on page 6 and notice Elisha's reaction to seeing his face in the window. Note that at
this time it is, in fact, night time. Then read the last paragraph of the book. The time is now
actually day; what do you think is significant about this statement at the end of the book?