Elie Wiesel And His Father's Relationship Analysis

Going through hardships that are the magnitude of the Holocaust would be a true test of any relationship. This idea is displayed in the memoir Night, penned by Elie Wiesel . Throughout their time at the concentration camps, Elie Wiesel and his father endured the treachery of the Holocaust while relying on each other for much needed support. Naturally, Wiesel and his father grew closer than they have ever been as this pivotal moment changed their lives forever. Elie Wiesel’s will to survive through the heinous punishment that he experienced during the Holocaust resulted from the growing relationship with his father. For the duration of his childhood, Wiesel's father was hardly present in his life. Their relationship was very insignificant and was not alluded to much in the beginning of the memoir. Wiesel became interested in religion at an early age, but when he turned to his father for approval, Elie Wiesel was told, “You’re too young for that” (Wiesel 1). Wiesel’s father advised that a very young Wiesel would be better off learning simpler concepts first; however, Wiesel did not take his father’s disapproval seriously as he …show more content…
Wiesel, who was slowly deteriorating, was the only thing keeping Elie Wiesel from wishing to die. Feeling helpless, Wiesel writes, “The idea of dying, of no longer being, began to fascinate me. Not to exist any longer. Not to feel the horrible pains in my foot. Not to feel anything, neither weariness, nor cold, nor anything. […] My father’s presence was the only thing that stopped me. He was running at my side, out of breath, at the end of his strength, at his wit’s end. I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his only support” (82). Rather than submitting to his own body, Wiesel reminded himself of his father’s current suffering and pulled himself together. He realized how much his father needed his support to survive and would not give up, despite his utter