The author writes about a man who will execute a prisoner at dawn, the prisoner is an innocent man captured during the Palestinian war against the English, the only crime he commited was being English. He is to die in response to the English executing a Palestinian war criminal. The story is told from the perspective of the executioner and several themes are present:
1. Our past is a part of our choices and actions "'You are the sum total of all that we have been, in a way we are the ones to execute John Dawson. Because you can't do it without us. Now, do you see?' I was beginning to understand. An act so absolute as that of killing involves not only the killer but, as well, those who have formed him. In murdering a man I was making them murders." Dawn by Elie Wiesel (pg. 47)
2. We use indifference to justify our choices and actions "He doesn't know he's going to die"' said Gideon in a sorrowful-fully dreamy voice. "His stomach knows," I retorted. A man about to die listens only to his stomach. He pays no attention to his heart or to his past, or to yours for that matter. He doesn't even hear the voice of the storm. He listens only to his stomach and his stomach tells him that he is going to die and that he isn't hungry." Dawn by Elie Wiesel (pg. 37)
3. We justify our choices and actions "We were at war; we had an ideal, a purpose-and also an enemy who stood between us and its attainment. The enemy must be eliminated. And how? By any and all means at our command. There were all sorts of means, but they were unimportant and soon forgotten. The purpose, the end, this was all that would last." Dawn by Elie Wiesel (pg. 55)
1. Our past is a part of our choices and actions
"'You are the sum total of all that we have been, in a way we are the ones to execute John Dawson. Because you can't do it without us. Now, do you see?'
I was beginning to understand. An act so absolute as that of killing involves not only the killer but, as well, those who have formed him. In murdering a man I was making them murders." Dawn by Elie Wiesel (pg. 47)
2. We use indifference to justify our choices and actions
"He doesn't know he's going to die"' said Gideon in a sorrowful-fully dreamy voice.
"His stomach knows," I retorted. A man about to die listens only to his stomach. He pays no attention to his heart or to his past, or to yours for that matter. He doesn't even hear the voice of the storm. He listens only to his stomach and his stomach tells him that he is going to die and that he isn't hungry." Dawn by Elie Wiesel (pg. 37)
3. We justify our choices and actions
"We were at war; we had an ideal, a purpose-and also an enemy who stood between us and its attainment. The enemy must be eliminated. And how? By any and all means at our command. There were all sorts of means, but they were unimportant and soon forgotten. The purpose, the end, this was all that would last." Dawn by Elie Wiesel (pg. 55)