Examples Of A Distant Relationship In Night By Elie Wiesel

The one person in Elie’s life that means everything to him is his father. During his time in the concentration camps, Elie’s bond with his father

When Elie and his father first entered the camps, his father was struck and Elie did nothing to help his father: "What had happened to me? My father had just been struck, in front of me, and I had not even blinked. Only yesterday, I would have dug my nails in this criminal's flesh" (39). This shows that, although Elie did not share a close relationship with his father, he still feels that he should stand up for his fahter for the fact that they are father and son. Elie is very violent in that he would have "dug his nails in the criminals' flesh." Evidently, Elie is furious towards the offender. Unfortunately, Elie does not do anything when his father is struck because he does not want to draw attention to himself. Nevertheless, the bond between Elie and his father does strengthen: "And what if he were dead, as well? He was not moving. Suddenly the evidence overwhelmed me: there is no longer any reason to live, any reason to fight" (98-99). Elie reveals that he truly depends on his father for survival. Because he believes his father is no longer alive, he loses all hope for surviavl. Although Elie expresses anger towards his father from time to time because he is being a burden, he still feels that his survival is meaningless without his father. The strong bond that the two developed once they entered the concentration camps proves that nothing can come between them so easily.

Eliezer and his father had a rocky relationship to begin with in Night by Elie Wiesel. But as the book goes on, their relationship develops into more of a dependency, portraying that they rely on one another to survive. In the first few months, it seems as if Eliezer’s father is more of the supporter than Eliezer himself, but as Eliezer’s journey with his father progresses it transforms, and Eliezer becomes his father’s rock which he is ok with. Near the end of the book, you see the biggest transformation in this relationship. Eliezer goes from supporting his father to seeing him as burden, showing the inner change that Eliezer himself has gone through throughout his experience in the camps.

Throughout the novel, we can understand that in the beginning, the relationship between Elie and his father was not the best because Elie believed his father cared more about the Jewish community than him. However, by the time the father and the son only had each other, they were depending on each other. Elie was only living for his father because he knew his father would not survive without him. They were both helping each other in a ways surviving. For example, Elie gave his father lessons in marching step, to help him survive (55). Also, Elie became less and less emphatic toward his dad during the concentration camp days. The Nazi sabotages the wonderful bond a father and a son had together. Elie could see his own father get beaten up and even than; he had no emotion or anger (39). Once his father got beat up with an iron bar, and Elie did nothing to help him, he just stood there (54). Even thought he had no emotion, even when his father past away, Elie said “I did not weep, and it pained me that I could not weep. But I was out of tears. And deep inside me, if I could have searched the recesses of my feeble conscience, I might have found something like: Free at last!...

“My hand tightened it’s grip on my father. All I could think of was not to lose him. Not to remain alone”(Wiesel 30).

“My father was a cultured man, rather unsentimental.”pg.4. Elie and his father didn't have the best relationship. Elie’s father was high in his community. He didn't show his love for his family as a father would. And this brought cracks to the relationship.He was more concerned about his businesses and community than his own family.

In the book “Night” Elie Wiesel and his father Shlomo Wiesel relationship, “ My father was a cultured man, rather unsentimental. “He rarely displayed his feelings, not even within his family and was more involved with the welfare of others than with his own kin (Wiesel 4).” Elie’s father was also against him from learning Kabbalah, something that Elie wanted to do, but his father told him that he was just too young. Shlomo wanted Elie to forget about Kabbalah. It is clear that his father did not support him. Both the father and son was acting like two strangers toward each other,because they knew nothing about each other.

Both Elie and his father craved to put their bodies at ease, yet they both knew that sleeping meant never waking again and so Elie made a proposition, saying “We’ll take turns. I’ll watch over you and you’ll watch over me. We won’t let each other fall asleep. We’ll look after each other,” (89). Different from the other prisoners who followed the idea of “every man for himself”, Elie and his father had each other to count on. Throughout this whole journey, the relationship between the father and son appears to have made their bond stronger out of deepened love, along with their formidable situation and desperation to survive. Although their situation caused the push that made them closer and formed their mutual dependency, the appearance of the dependence on one another also strips the title of ‘hero’ from Elie’s father. Even though his father is the reason he fights to live, he is now an equal to him, where normally a dad, or hero, would be the to place their needs behind the other party. But, under their circumstances, they both equally need help and support from the

After losing his mother and sister in chapter three of Night, Elie says, “All I could think of was not to lose him [His father]” (30). This quote shows the importance of family because it say that the only thing that Elie could think about is not losing his father. “The baton pointed left. I took half a step forward. I first wanted to see where they would send my father. Were he to have gone to the right, I would have run after him” (32). This quote shows how much Elie’s father means to him. Knowing full well that he would get beat by a guard if he ran to his father, he would have just to be with him. Elie’s relative, Stein, shows how family is important to him by repeatedly saying, “The only thing that keeps me alive, is to know that Reizel and the little ones are still alive. Were it not for them, I would give up” (45). Overall, these three quotes show the importance of family to Elie, his father, and Stein, his

In the beginning of the book, before experiencing life threatening difficulties, Elie was much more determined to stay with his family (in order to survive). Eliezer thought that his father was what kept him going and gave him strength, he was certain that the right thing to do was to stay with his dad. In chapter 3 Wiesel states, “My hand tightened its grip on my father. All I could think of was not to lose him. Not to remain alone” (30). In these sentences, Elie explains that he and his father needed to stay together. This quote also shows what Elie’s emotions were; he was scared to suffer through the concentration camp alone. Elie also shows his need for family when he says, “Franek, the foreman, assigned me to a corner... ‘Please, sir ... I’d like to be near

Elie’s thoughts and actions reflect his reliance on his father in the camp. When he is going through selection for a komodo, he begs, “I want to stay with my father” page 48.

Before Elie and his father’s nightmare began they were very distant from each other. Elie’s father “ rarely displayed his feelings , not even within his family ...” (4). He was emotionless towards everyone. He never communicated

As noted on page 111, “In fact, you should be getting his rations...too late to save your father...you could have two rations of bread, two rations of soup.” (Page 111) Here it is shown that Elie will receive his father’s rations, but in the beginning of the book he is always trying to help his father and keep him alive. Realizing that he can’t save his father, he begins to show that there is nothing else left for him to care for. Another example of his loss sympathy would be, “I shall not describe my life during that period it longer mattered.” (Page 113)The death of his father certainly changed they way he thought of his own life, and without his father he showed no more care for anything else. Not only does he lose his sympathy for others, but even his own life wasn’t worth caring

In the memoir Night, Elie Wiesel uses the relationship between Eliezer and his father, in accordance with other father son relationships to show the importance of family to survive the holocaust. Eliezer’s father was his support system, comfort system and his responsibility, their relationship was crucial for each others survival. Without his father in the beginning, Elie may not have gotten as far alone, as he fears in this quote. “My hand tightened its grip on my father. All I could think of was not to loose him.

After the departure of Elie’s father he says “since my father’s death, nothing mattered to me anymore”(Wiesel 113). Elie remains focused after his fathers passing and lives to tell his story. 2. Elie struggles to remain humane and hold true to his faith. While in the concentration camp Elie begins to question why God is allowing these horrendous acts to happen to his followers.