Change In Elie Wiesel's Night

Change is to make or become different. Elie Wiesel’s Night tells the journey of a teenage boy who is put through two concentration camps; Auschwitz and Buchenwald. He goes through a lot of adversity and suffering to make it out alive. He learns that self-preservation is an ally instead of his greatest enemy. But it is after he considers his father to be a burden that he realizes that he has changed. Early on in the book, Eliezer shows that he was more selfless rather than selfish. When given the opportunity to escape with the maid he refuses, so that he wouldn’t be separated from his family. For example:
Maria, our former maid, came to see us. Sobbing, she begged us to come with her to her village where she had prepared a safe shelter. …show more content…
This is shown on page 49: “Your age?” he asked, perhaps trying to sound paternal. “I’m eighteen.” My voice was trembling.” This excerpt shows how Eliezer is starting to get more selfish by lying about his age to try and go to work but he still cares enough to make sure his father makes it through as well. Towards the end of his journey he becomes very self-absorbed. At one point he says: “ I didn’t move. I was afraid, my body was afraid of another blow, this time to my head.” This passage is telling about when Eliezer was in the block with his father who was getting yelled at by the SS to keep quiet and they came over to beat him and Eliezer remained silent so that he too would not be beaten. It shows that Eliezer no longer was living for his father, he was living for himself. In Night, Eliezer learns to use self-preservation as a resource for survival, instead of guilt. In the beginning he wouldn’t leave his family even if it meant guaranteed survival. Then once he arrives to Auschwitz he lies to Dr.Mengele about his age so that he can go to work and not a crematorium. Once again though, Eliezer is only doing this to stay with his father. In the end, Eliezer learns that in order to survive he must save himself before saving