Night by Elie Wiesel is a memoir that recounts his personal journey through the concentration camps of WWII. The cruel nature of the concentration camps would completely isolate a person and break away at everything that makes them themselves. The one constant in Elie's story is his father, even though their relationship changes dramatically. At the beginning of the story, Elie and his father have an average father-son relationship. Elie looks up to his father and holds much respect for his father. However, Elie also sees his father as cold, saying his father was "rather unsentimental. He rarely displayed his feelings, not even with his family, and was more involved with the welfare of others than with that of his own kin." (Night 4). Elie thinks that his father isn't involved with the lives of his children, and would rather take care of the community. …show more content…
Elie chooses to go with his father and the rest of the men, instead of following his sisters and mother. As they first enter the camp Elie says, "All I could think of was not to lose [his father]." (Night 30). Elie later considers giving up, intrigued by the idea of dying and getting some peace, but the thought of his father stops him. He says "I have no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his sole support." (Night 87). Throughout the camps, Elie doesn't want to lose his father, not wanting to live without the last shred of humanity left in him. Elie also gives up his desire to die, because he knows his father wouldn't live without his son to help
One of the conflicts that he has with his dad is in the beginning of the book when he feels that his dad doesn’t pay enough attention to him. “My father was occupied with his business and the doings in the community” (Wiesel 18). He feels that his father cares more about other people in the community more than he care about him. This made Elie feel melancholy and isolated.
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
It is clear Elie hints that he was neglected. The transformation from being independent in Sighet to becoming dependant upon his father showed Elie how much he took his father for granted.
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.
One of the major themes that can be found in Night, by Elie Wiesel, is one of father/son relationships. To quote a father from the book, Stein, “The only thing that keeps me alive is knowing that Reizel and the little ones are still alive.” Not all father/son relationships are as good however. Another part of the book reads, “I once saw. . . a boy of thirteen, beat his father for not making his bed properly. As the old man quietly wept, the boy was yelling, ‘If you don’t stop crying instantly, I will no longer bring you bread. Understood?’” In presenting examples like these, Wiesel communicates a message of the importance of good father/son relationships to his readers. This paper will examine father/son relationships throughout the book,
Elie’s relationship with his father consists of an estranged bond, with not a lot of emotional connection. The relationship his dad creates with the community means more to him than his relationship with his son; the people of Sighet thought of him as a leader of their town, someone to confide in. To the townspeople of Sighet, he plays the role of a role model, people involving him even in their personal matters. Elie notices how guarded his father acts around his family, compared to the way he acts in his community. When Elie wishes to
In the story Elie was whipped savagely by the Kapo, and all he can think about is his father. Later in the new camp Elie's father is giving up on life and Elie tries to make him move. There is an allied air raid and for the first time Elie leave his father.(wiesel pg. 106) This proves he finally gave up on his father. He started off in the story really caring about his father sacrificing his own safety just so he could stay close to him. After his father was struck ill in the new camp he gave up on him. In the story Elie wanted to keep his shoes even if that meant he would get tormented even more. This show he has a very strong will and loves things that give him a glimmer of hope. At the end when his father died he stopped caring and lost all hope in surviving the
Night by Elie Wiesel focuses on 15 year old Elie’s experiences during the Holocaust. Elie endures circumstances which are so extreme to the point they are almost unbelievable. Elie’s account of his experiences during his life in the concentration camps has taught readers around the world about how to appreciate everything they take for granted, how desperation can make people do crazy things, and the importance of motivation in tough times.
“Eliezer experiments with the possibility of becoming an adult while his father gradually slips away, all the while giving his son what space he can to let him try out a new role” (Sanderson). “Eliezer's march toward a pseudo-adulthood continues, while his father seems to be regressing. (Sanderson). Elie’s father starts to get sick and is becoming an annoyance for Elie. When Chlomo sinks into a snow bank during a forced march to the next death camp, too sick to move, Eliezer begs his father to stand up and continue moving” (Sanderson). Elie also felt no remorse for his father as he was being beaten by a S.S guard. “At first my father simply doubled the blows…I felt angry at that moment… Why couldn’t he avoid Idek’s wrath?” (Wiesel 54). Even when his father was being beaten for not marching right he still became annoyed with is dad. He also gave up his soup with a heavy heart. “I gave him what’s left of my soup.” I was aware that I did it groggily” (Wiesel
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
Then, throughout the middle of the novel, the strength of family bonds of the Jews is tested. After the run, a Rabbi asks Elie if he had seen his son, Elie tells him that he had not. Then Elie realizes that he had seen his son on the run, but he does not tell the Rabbi because his son left him behind on purpose. The text states, “He had felt his father growing weaker… by this separation to free himself of a burden that could diminish his own chance for survival” (Wiesel 91). This is where the reader begins to see the toll that the concentration camps are having on the families. Elie includes this to show, that now, family members see each other as burdens rather than a blessing. Later in the novel, family members go as far as taking a life. One old man
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.
The volatile father and son bond held throughout the book was seen between Eliezer and Chlomo. In the novel Night by Elie Wiesel, we saw Elie's relationship change with father as they continued living in the camps. Their atrocious experiences brought them closer together. Although we saw their bond grow other bonds differed, they demonstrated the idea of self preservation versus family commitment. The egregious situation they were exposed to obviously affected their decisions of survival. Elie tried to protect his father's life, as well as his, while living at these camps. The motive behind the father and son bond elie tried to manifest was to show how it affected
At last, my father half opened his eyes”(99). This is a great example of father son relationship because it shows how he would risk his life for his dad. Also it shows how Elie wouldn’t let the SS officer throw his dad off the train because he was still alive and Elie loves his dad. “ His eyes lit up, a smile, like a grimace, illuminated his ashen face. And this was immediately extinguished.
The novel “Night” was written by Elie Wiesel and is a memoir of his life during World War II. The book starts with his life living in Hungary with his family. It then tells of how they were taken away to concentration camps throughout the war. During Elie’s stays at the various camps you see the sacrifices he makes and how the experience changes him.