Question

We arrived at the station, where the cattle cars were waiting. Ever since my book Night I have pursued those nocturnal trains that crossed the devastated continent. Their shadow haunts my writing. They symbolize solitude, distress, and the relentless march of Jewish multitudes toward agony and death. I freeze every time I hear a train whistle.

— All Rivers Run to the Sea, Elie Wiesel

How does Wiesel’s unique point of view about the sound of a train whistle impact the reader?

It effectively reaches readers who also fear the sound of train whistle.

It causes the reader to question the sincerity of the author.

It allows the reader to understand the lingering terror of the journey.

Answer 1

It allows the reader to understand the lingering terror of the journey.

Wiesel’s admission that he “freezes every time I hear a train whistle” makes his trauma concrete and personal, helping readers grasp the lasting fear and horror the trains represent.