preview

How Does Elie Wiesel React To His Father's Life

Good Essays

“Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself.” After World War I Germany had suffered great loss. Their economy was especially weak. The German people desperately seeked for a leader that could help them. Adolf Hitler had won over the people of Germany and gained control. Many thought he would be the one to save them. Hitler slowly began turning everyone against the Jews. He said the Jews were the ones to blame for their country’s problems. Hitler began sending them to concentration camps in order to exterminate them, this was known as the Holocaust. Between five to six million Jews were killed. Elie Wiesel experienced all of these horrors right in front of his very own eyes, alongside his father. …show more content…

For instance, Wiesel states, “Of course. But on one condition. I want to stay with my father.” For Wiesel, it is imperative to him that he stays with his father. He depends on his father but at the same time, he also looks out for his father. However, there are also times Wiesel acts selfishly or feels angry towards his father. For example, Wiesel states, “I refused to give him my shoes. They were all I had left.” Wiesel is acting selfishly, because he does not wants to give up his shoes even if it will cost him staying with his father. It’s also a very ironic situation because he speaks about staying with his father, but he won’t give up his shoes for his father. Also, he says that the shoes are all he has left but in reality, his father was all he had left. There are also times when he gets angry with his father. For example Wiesel explains, “What’s more, if I felt anger at the moment, it was not directed at the Kapo but at my father.” He’s feeling a rollercoaster of emotions, He may be feeling guilty and upset that his father got his so he turned his guilt into anger. He may also be angry at himself for not doing anything but he directs his anger to his father. At this moment, he feels as if his father will be a burden on him. Throughout the middle of the book his mind is on his …show more content…

For example, Wiesel states, “And I started to hit him harder and harder. At last, my father half opened his eyes. They were glassy. He was breathing faintly.” Wiesel’s father was getting really close to death. When the gravediggers approached his father, Wiesel wasn’t ready to let go of his father. He knew his dad wasn’t dead. So he started to hit him so the guards wouldn’t throw him out. At this point, Wiesel is now looking out for his father, he wants his father to keep living. When they arrive at the camp, his father grows extremely weak. He wants to rest but Wiesel grows angry and frustrated, for example Wiesel states, “I could have screamed in anger. To have lived and endured so much; was I going to let my father die now?” His father was begging Wiesel to let him go. “He had become childlike: weak, frightened, vulnerable.” Wiesel finally realized that his father isn’t able to take care of himself, he must now take care of him. Wiesel doesn’t know what to do any longer, the Blockalteste is telling Wiesel to stop giving his rations to his father. Realizing he was right, he felt guilty. For example Wiesel writes, “It was only a fraction of a second, but it left me feeling guilty.” Wiesel knew that by agreeing with the Blockalteste he would be giving up on his father. He wasn’t ready to leave his father. Wiesel pretended to be sick so he could stay with

Get Access