In the novel Night by Eliezer Wiesel, the bond between father and son is something that proves to be a theme that stands out very clearly. Other than the relationship between Elie and his father, many other fathers and their sons come into the forefront of the novel, and those relationships have very different but still similar dynamics to Elie and his own father. Their inclusion and ultimate influence on Elie shows the theme survival versus mortality in the face of horror. The commentary traces out the outline of ultimate ambiguity between the two extremes, as Elie’s memoir never truly states if he had completely abandoned his father. Because of this, it can be interpreted that one must ride the line in between to not completely fall to grief
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When deported to the camps, Elie recalls “[M]y hand tightened its grip on my father. All I could think of was not to lose him. Not to remain alone.” (Wiesel 30) After losing his mother and sisters, Elie was forced to be close to his father, as to keep some of his sanity and keep himself feeling safe. In comparison to this, as the horrible things at the camp begin to happen, many of the sons begin to despise the silence that they are living in. In return, the fathers say “[W]e mustn’t give up hope, even now as the sword hangs over our heads. So taught our sages.” (Wiesel 31) The differences in the two points of view are very distinct, even at the beginning of the novel. Elie seems to be one of the boys who is close to their fathers instead of rejecting them. This even crossed over into religion, as Elie states “I did not fast. First of all, to please my father who had forbidden me to do so.” (Wiesel 69) With his opinion of his father even trampling religion in this situation, it shows that Elie was truly dedicated.
Unlike Elie, however, other children had let their fathers be killed, or even killed them themselves. Elie sees the sons fail once they hurt their fathers, as with the dead duo that was sparked by a son killing his father for bread, and he realizes that he has to go down the middle path in a way that will allow him to feel less guilty while letting himself
When deported to the camps, Elie recalls “[M]y hand tightened its grip on my father. All I could think of was not to lose him. Not to remain alone.” (Wiesel 30) After losing his mother and sisters, Elie was forced to be close to his father, as to keep some of his sanity and keep himself feeling safe. In comparison to this, as the horrible things at the camp begin to happen, many of the sons begin to despise the silence that they are living in. In return, the fathers say “[W]e mustn’t give up hope, even now as the sword hangs over our heads. So taught our sages.” (Wiesel 31) The differences in the two points of view are very distinct, even at the beginning of the novel. Elie seems to be one of the boys who is close to their fathers instead of rejecting them. This even crossed over into religion, as Elie states “I did not fast. First of all, to please my father who had forbidden me to do so.” (Wiesel 69) With his opinion of his father even trampling religion in this situation, it shows that Elie was truly dedicated.
Unlike Elie, however, other children had let their fathers be killed, or even killed them themselves. Elie sees the sons fail once they hurt their fathers, as with the dead duo that was sparked by a son killing his father for bread, and he realizes that he has to go down the middle path in a way that will allow him to feel less guilty while letting himself