Internal Conflict In Night Elie Wiesel

A3 Suzy Kassem once wrote, “The gut is the seat of all feeling. Polluting the gut not only cripples your immune system, but also destroys your sense of empathy, the ability to identify with other humans.” The destruction of the human sense of apathy, as mentioned by Suzy Kassem, is the same kind of emotional desensitization that Auschwitz caused Elie to experience. Night by Elie Wiesel uses symbolism, personal conflicts, and flashbacks to show how desensitization leads to people becoming emotionally dormant, as he experienced during his time at Auschwitz. Through his use of symbolism, Elie exposes the emotional dormancy he experienced during his time at Auschwitz.

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

“I learned that the hard way” it is a statement that is often used in regular everyday conversation. Situations or struggles that individuals have to deal with teach them lessons about the world and may in turn impact who they are. In Elie Wiesel’s novel, Night, Elie develops the idea that adversity in one's life can quite drastically change or shape a person's identity and mentally wear them down to the point where they are incapable of being who they truly are even after they already have developed their own ways of being. He continually develops this idea throughout the book when he talks about his relationship with God and his view of his family or more specifically his father. Additionally, he shows this with his father, Shlomo, who begins

Elie was losing compassion throughout the Novel for most of his stay at the Death Camp. Elie was talking about how he loved, and was now very close to his father. But as the passage progressed, his compassion towards his father was starting to deteriorate. As the father got weaker, Elie found him more of a useless weight more than anything else. Elie’s father was vexing for him. An example of his anger would be when Elie was angry at his father for being caught up in Idek’s frenzy, and asking himself, “Why couldn’t he (Elie’s father) avoided Idek’s wrath?”(54).

He began by devoting his life to others, mainly his family. However, his experiences caused him to become more selfish and grudgeful. For example, Idek, the kapo in charge of Buna, is known for his unexpected wraths. There was an event where Idek approaches Elie’s father, Shlomo and Elie is a bystander during this situation. He clearly states that the camps have changed him in the sense that after Shlomo received a few blows, Elie held a grudge towards his father rather than Idek. This foreshadowed an even bigger change in Elie’s father in the book. “What’s more, if I felt anger at that moment, it was not directed at the Kapo but at my father. Why couldn’t he have avoided Idek’s wrath? That was what life in a concentration camp had made of me...” (Wiesel 54). Elie knows who had fault in this change of character, if it had to be anything, anyone, it has to be the camp itself. As Elie is slowly becoming less and less humane, his father's strength is lessening also. After the death march where prisoners are forced to WALK 85 miles to the camp in Gleiwitz. During this they are tortured and left to die along the way. This had consisted of many losing their strength along with their lives because of how they were treated by those who had authority. Elie is resisting the urge to do more for himself and less for his father because of his father's state in health. “They didn't give us anything... They said

Upon arriving at the camps, the SS guards forced the families to be separated by gender. By sticking by his father’s side, Elie knowingly veres away from his mother who can’t offer any protection against the guards. ‘“Eight words spoken … we were alone”’ (Wiesel 27). Elie realizes how attached he was the his mother and that they were being sent straight into the crematory for one reason, because they were useless to the German SS guards. In this moment, Elie was beyond scared with what was to happen to him and his father. They could be going straight into the crematory or to fight in the war or just sit around and do nothing. Later we find out that the two men along with many others were worked hard and looked after by ruthless people. Being around his father made Elie realize that his father was making an effort in trying to understand Elie and how they would survive the camp as a family. Splitting up their family took a toll on Elie because he is so close with his mother and sisters and it feels like there is a whole inside his heart because he couldn’t protect them like his father protects him. Elie now knows that his mother will love him unconditionally even though she is dead and that his mother will be watching over Elie and his father as they attempt to survive the

He rarely displayed his feelings, not even within his family…” (Wiesel 4). However, this begins to change throughout the book. Once Elie actually realizes what is happening to him, he finds out that his “father’s presence was the only thing that stopped [him]...[he] had no right to let [himself] die. What would he do without [him]? [He] was his sole support” (86-87).

Before the arise of the conflict, Elie’s relationship with his father is bare and unintimate. Elie’s “father was always up to his neck in the affairs of the Jewish community and much less well versed in family matters” (40). He is more focused on helping the town rather than his own family. He doesn’t try to have a caring,

Throughout Wiesel’s novel, many different types of conflict are mentioned. Whether through Elie’s thoughts or the external difficulties of life in concentration camps, the discussion of such topics elicits an emotional response from many readers. Wiesel is able to discuss his struggle within himself, with others, with his faith, and with the environment around him to create poignant descriptions of the horrors of the Holocaust.

Throughout the entire book, we see Elie’s internal conflict with his faith. At the beginning of the book, Elie’s faith is undoubted, but as he encounters the hardships his Holocaust experience offered he questions the presence of God, and thinks that God is dead because if God were alive he wouldn’t be letting this happen. This is seen in the quote, “Where He is? This is where- hanging here from the gallows. Another internal conflict Elie faces is his father.

[His father] was running next to [him], out of breath, out of strength, desperate. [He] had no right to let [himself] die. What would [his father] do without [him]? [He] was [his father’s] sole support.”(86) In this moment Elie wanted to let himself die, but with one glance at his weak, old father Elie’s mind changed completely. Elie’s father gave him the strength and courage he needed. Elie illustrated he and his father are in this together, they became support systems for eachother. Elie had become an extremely brave son wanting to do anything he could for his father. Although death would be the easiest way out, Elie no longer wanted to suffer. Instead he rather be there for his father because surely if he left, his father would be lost, with no will to live. So Elie kept moving, kept trying to survive, this was the only thing Elie had to live for, his father. The was a sign of possible liberation, but many did not believe this rumore as many were previously false. Many claimed after evacuation they would blow up the camps. Many thought of death but Elie thought, “As for me, I was thinking not about death but about not wanting to be separated from my

Notably, when Elie was younger he always faced the fact that he father believed that he was not old enough to make certain choices and do certain things. Elie’s father made him believe that he wouldn’t understand making him doubt himself. During this time at the Concentration Camp he was beat even in the text he states, “ I tried to protect myself from the blows,”(41). The author has been through a lot through these past couple of days and weeks. He states that the first human words he heard were, “Don’t lose hope,”(41). Those words brought his dignity back up close to his previous personal

When Elie and his father are taken to concentration camps they are separated from their family forever. They manage to stay close during their entire stay in concentration camps. Throughout their time in the camps, Elie and father depend on each other for survival. As their relationship develops Elie comes to realise how much he cares for his father. Throughout their days in the camp life the bond between the two is strong. His father’s supreme concern is his sons’ well being. When he is picked in selection he gives Elie his ‘inheritance’ the little that he had, trying to protect Elie. He fights to save his father because he is all he has. Elie was entering manhood, from a dependent child to a responsible man. When his father dies Elie begins

Life in a concentration camp impacts Elie and his father’s relationship for what they do for one another. The first example shows the reverse roles of caring for one another.“I’m burning...why are you being so unkind to me, my son? Some water…” I brought him some water. Then I left the block for roll call. But I turned around and came back again. I lay down on the top bunk. Invalids were allowed to stay in the block. So I would be an invalid myself. I would not leave my father.” (Weissel 105). The reader can understand the love relationship between father and son. Even though the father is dying, the son is still continues to care and pamper his father’s request. From the first sentence the reader can conclude at times the son is selfish or

At the end Elie, his father, and other prisoners are moved to a different concentration camp, called Buchenwald. They have to travel in the bitter cold, which prevented many people from reaching the planned destination. The snow became their eternal resting place. Fortunately Elie and his father survived, or was it unfortunate? If they gave up death would become their way of escaping. When they finally reach Buchenwald Elie’s father becomes very sick and develops a disease called dysentery, which is an infection of the lower abdominal track producing pain. Even at this time Elie stays by him, but he discovers for himself it’s very hard to keep himself and his father alive. “ I gave him what was left of my soup. But it was with a heavy heart. I felt that I was giving it up against my will”. He himself is very hungry, but he manages to share the food with his ill father. “ Invalids were allowed to stay in the block. So I would be an invalid myself. I would not leave my father” Eliezer’s fear however prevents him from helping his father when the SS officer violently stroked him on the head. Even thoug he loved his father with all his heart he also found him a big burden, he became relived when his father died on January 29. When he learned of his fathers death those were the thoughts that occupied his mind,” I did not weep, and it pained me that I could not weep. But I had no more tears. And, in depth of my conscious, could I have searched