Father and Son
The horrific tragedies of World War II killed six million innocent Jewish people in concentration camps created by the Nazis. Unsurprisingly, there have been thousands of stories written by survivors of these camps. Elie Wiesel, the author of Night, is one of these survivors. In the book Night, he recounts details of his horrific experience within the camps. This essay expands on the father-and-son relationships within the book, and how they change through time due to the horrific life in the concentration camp and losing their families.
At the very beginning of the book, we learn of the barely-there relationship Elie Wiesel and his father have. Unlike a normal father and son relationship, they hardly ever spoke or spent time with each other. In fact, Elie Wiesel wrote that his father “…was more concerned with others than with his own family” (2). This is an almost bitter statement, showcasing how he perceives his father’s scarce involvement with his family’s life.
Eventually, Elie meets a man named Moshe the Beadle, and he becomes almost a replacement for Mr. Wiesel. Moshe begins Elie’s studies of the cabbala, also known as the Zohar. Elie had tried asking his father before, but his father refused, insisting that Elie “’…too young…’” and quoted Maimonides saying “’…it was only at thirty that one had …show more content…
“I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his only support.” (82). When Elie and the other from the camp are finally allowed a moment’s rest, his father tells him not to rest in the snow, “Not here. . . . Get up. . . . A little farther on. There’s a shed over there . . . come on.” (84).The shed is not much better than the outdoors, as it is filled with snow and soot, and has a caved-in roof, though his father’s effort is
The horrific tragedies of World War II killed six million innocent Jewish people in concentration camps created by the Nazis. Unsurprisingly, there have been thousands of stories written by survivors of these camps. Elie Wiesel, the author of Night, is one of these survivors. In the book Night, he recounts details of his horrific experience within the camps. This essay expands on the father-and-son relationships within the book, and how they change through time due to the horrific life in the concentration camp and losing their families.
At the very beginning of the book, we learn of the barely-there relationship Elie Wiesel and his father have. Unlike a normal father and son relationship, they hardly ever spoke or spent time with each other. In fact, Elie Wiesel wrote that his father “…was more concerned with others than with his own family” (2). This is an almost bitter statement, showcasing how he perceives his father’s scarce involvement with his family’s life.
Eventually, Elie meets a man named Moshe the Beadle, and he becomes almost a replacement for Mr. Wiesel. Moshe begins Elie’s studies of the cabbala, also known as the Zohar. Elie had tried asking his father before, but his father refused, insisting that Elie “’…too young…’” and quoted Maimonides saying “’…it was only at thirty that one had …show more content…
“I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his only support.” (82). When Elie and the other from the camp are finally allowed a moment’s rest, his father tells him not to rest in the snow, “Not here. . . . Get up. . . . A little farther on. There’s a shed over there . . . come on.” (84).The shed is not much better than the outdoors, as it is filled with snow and soot, and has a caved-in roof, though his father’s effort is