The Perils of Indifference

Wiesel argues that indifference, in contrast to emotions like anger and hatred, is a kind of void. It produces nothing: “[i]ndifference is not a response” (Paragraph 8), and “indifference is never creative” (Paragraph 9). It is a “strange and unnatural state” that erodes important boundaries, blurring the lines “between light and darkness, dusk and dawn, crime and punishment, good and evil” (Paragraph 5). The nature of indifference makes clear that it “is not a beginning; it is an end” (Paragraph 10). To be indifferent is to be dead, in a spiritual sense, and not know it. Indifference marks a loss of one’s humanity.

Though Wiesel acknowledges that indifference “is so much easier” (Paragraph 6) than any alternative, much of his speech focuses on outlining its terrible consequences. These consequences, notably, concern not only the ignored victims but also those practicing indifference. Accordingly, he outlines these consequences on both an individual level and on a societal level. Throughout, his argument relies on pathos, which often manifests in rhetorical questions—the use of these unanswered (and arguably unanswerable) questions emphasizes the nature of indifference. As the questions build, the absence of answers suggests the absence of compassion.

On an individual level, practicing indifference is to abandon one’s humanity.