Eliezer And His Father's Relationship Analysis

Ruben Gonzalez
ENC1102

The Relationship between Eliezer and his Father:
How their relationship changes throughout the novel.

Change is unpredictable and inevitable. You cannot know what alteration it may bring, but it can be expected. In the Autobiography “Night” by Elie Wiesel changes are experienced constantly by the protagonist and his father throughout the story. The changes in Elie’s life throughout the story are shown in form of stages, the beginning stage where Elie feels no affection towards his dad, the second stage where Elie’s relationship with his father gets stronger than ever, and the last change, when Elie becomes indifferent towards his own feelings.
Eliezer’s relation with his father in the novel changes from time to time, but in the first stage neither of them has a relationship with each other. Elie and his father are never intimate or dependent on each other. The distance between father and son is so great that Elie describes his father as one who “was more concerned with others than his own family” (Wiesel 2). prioritizing the members of the Jewish community that his own family. Also Elie’s is so independent that he doesn’t seek any attention from his father and challenge him when it comes to following
instruction given by his father, When he asked his father if he could find a master to teach him about the cabbala. His father tells him, “You’re too young for that” (Wiesel 1). However, Elie finds a master. Elie is too arrogant and dos not take any advice given to him.
The change, Elies life along with his dad’s life rapidly changes after being imprisoned in the concentration camps, right after Elie losses his mother and sister in one concentration camp, he has no choice but to bond and stay close to his father in any possible way, so much that he wants to stay with his dad even when before they didn’t had any type of relationship. “My hand shifted on my father’s arm. I had one thought –not to lose him” (Wiesel 27). this because Elie was scared to be alone in the concentration camp, plus it was easier to survive with the support of any other person pushing you harder just to survive one more day, which it was what Elie’s father did for him.
Although time has pass by and the relation between Elie and his father got better, Elie begins to change after his father gets sick, he becomes indifferent to the world, he feels no affection for no one including his father and himself, instead he resents having to take care of his father, and when his father is taken to the crematories alive still breathing to be burn, Elie stands and watches everything motionless.
“…in the recesses of my weakened conscience, could I have searched it, I might perhaps have found something like –free at last!” (Wiesel 106). After his father dies, Elie feels relieved that he does not have to help or wait for his father anymore. He is happy he only has to worry about himself and about his
survival.
In conclusion Elie’s relationship with his dad changes but only because the circumstances makes this change possible, the fear of being alone and the need of having someone next him, is what motivates the father and son relationship to change from not understanding each other, and not feeling any affection towards each other, to where all they needed was affection and to have one another. But as the concentration camp tears them apart Elie’s father gets sick, and all that Elie wishes for is his father to die, to make his survival easer, proving that their relationship starts out strong because they rely on each other, but is weakened as the concentration camp tear them apart.

Citation

* "wikipidea ." e notes. e notes, 25/02/2012. Web. 25 Feb 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/topic/Night_(book)>. * Wiesel, Elie. Night, Elie Wiesel. Trans. Stella Rodway. Littleton, MA: Sundance, 1998. Print.