Life is all about finding a balance, to get what you need—perhaps in sacrifice of what you want. Thus, history has its reckless balance of tragedy and hope through varying events; testing the strength of humanity in the face of adversity. In “Night” by Elie Wiesel, we glimpse the horrors of the Holocaust through the recollections of a survivor. Elie supplies an emotional recount of his experience, enabling his readers to comprehend the devastating repercussions of this event vicariously. He presents a personal vantage point, causing us to read about families getting ripped apart and demoralized victims losing their faith. On pages 90-91, he uses diction, metaphors, and imagery to emphasize the theme that ultimately, the only bonds you are guaranteed
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Elie employs a metaphor to his exit, “And so he left, as he had come: a shadow swept away by the wind.” (page 91), giving his leave an ominous connotation. Equating the Rabbi to a shadow was meant in the sense that Eliahu was a shadow of the man he had once been, the winds of change had stripped him of his prestige. He is also insinuating that the Rabbi’s brief existence was unimpactful and that his being was fragile. Moreover, shadows are incapable of altering things in the physical world, suggesting that the Rabbi no longer has control over his life. Additionally, implying that the wind took him away suggests that he was thin and elderly, for he could be moved by the breeze and blown away like dust. All these allusions to his fragility reinforce the strength of familial love since Eliahu continues his plight to find his son despite his drained and vulnerable state. The willpower of the human mind can overcome most physical obstacles, especially for those you …show more content…
When Elie is pondering the Rabbi, his says “I was glad that Rabbi Eliahu continued to search for his beloved son.” (page 91). Identifying his son as “beloved” shows that even to an outsider, their relationship was evidently strong and affectionate. Clearly, the Rabbi would go to the ends of the earth for his son—and he may have to. Towards the end of this passage, we learn that Rabbi Eliahu’s son abandoned his father because he had begun to lag behind and the son couldn’t bear to see him die. Subsequently, Elie prays, “give me strength to never do what Rabbi Eliahu's son has done.” (page 91), showing his disgust in the son’s actions. “Never” is a finite term, indicating that the mere thought of ditching his own father in their current situation is inconceivable. Reinforcing his horrified astonishment, Elie is willing to pray to a god he no longer believes in to help prevent him from mirroring the son’s choices. Evidently, he’s surmised that the bond of a parent a child is something sacred, and in light of current events they only had each other for protection. Furthermore, mass tragedies often cause people to become impulsive shells of themselves and revert to instinctual self-preservation; while families will attempt to keep each other alive and together for as long as
Elie employs a metaphor to his exit, “And so he left, as he had come: a shadow swept away by the wind.” (page 91), giving his leave an ominous connotation. Equating the Rabbi to a shadow was meant in the sense that Eliahu was a shadow of the man he had once been, the winds of change had stripped him of his prestige. He is also insinuating that the Rabbi’s brief existence was unimpactful and that his being was fragile. Moreover, shadows are incapable of altering things in the physical world, suggesting that the Rabbi no longer has control over his life. Additionally, implying that the wind took him away suggests that he was thin and elderly, for he could be moved by the breeze and blown away like dust. All these allusions to his fragility reinforce the strength of familial love since Eliahu continues his plight to find his son despite his drained and vulnerable state. The willpower of the human mind can overcome most physical obstacles, especially for those you …show more content…
When Elie is pondering the Rabbi, his says “I was glad that Rabbi Eliahu continued to search for his beloved son.” (page 91). Identifying his son as “beloved” shows that even to an outsider, their relationship was evidently strong and affectionate. Clearly, the Rabbi would go to the ends of the earth for his son—and he may have to. Towards the end of this passage, we learn that Rabbi Eliahu’s son abandoned his father because he had begun to lag behind and the son couldn’t bear to see him die. Subsequently, Elie prays, “give me strength to never do what Rabbi Eliahu's son has done.” (page 91), showing his disgust in the son’s actions. “Never” is a finite term, indicating that the mere thought of ditching his own father in their current situation is inconceivable. Reinforcing his horrified astonishment, Elie is willing to pray to a god he no longer believes in to help prevent him from mirroring the son’s choices. Evidently, he’s surmised that the bond of a parent a child is something sacred, and in light of current events they only had each other for protection. Furthermore, mass tragedies often cause people to become impulsive shells of themselves and revert to instinctual self-preservation; while families will attempt to keep each other alive and together for as long as