Relationships In Elie Wiesel's Night
Relationships in Night
In the novel Night tells an autobiography about Elie's time in the Holocaust and the book explains how the relationships with his father, and God change in the event of the time he spent during the Holocaust. One relationship that changes over the course of this novel is Elie’s relationship with his father. At the beginning of Wiesel's story he has almost no relationship with his father. His father was more involved with the Jewish community, and it left no time for him to spend time with his son. They worked together to help him learn Jewish tradition. Elie recalls that his father was: “more concerned about other people than he was with his own family”(Wiesel 4) However, the horror’s of the camps made
them value their relationship. Elie and his father were stuck in the concentration camp and stayed strong for each other throughout the book. As they progress through the concentration camp their bond became stronger because of the need of encouragement and support from each other. As the terrors they faced, Elie had one thought, and it was not to lose his father. When Elie and his father experience the New Year, their relationships have completely changed. Finally, the relationship becomes where Elie hopes for his father's death, so he can give up himself. “I could use all my strength to fight for my own survival, to take care of myself only...”(106). Instantly, he felt ashamed, ashamed of himself forever. Another relationship that changes is Elie's relationship with god. In the beginning, Elie Wiesel's relationship with God in Night shows strong devotion. Wiesel committed to all activities and established the study of the Zohar, and advanced Jewish text, by himself with the help of Moishe the Beadle. Wiesel wished to spend his life focused around Judaism and committed all his free time and energy on religious studies. With Moishe's guidance, they would read the same pages of the Zohar over and over. Wiesel believed that religion was a basic survival need. However, It was not easy for Elie to doubt in God, or he would not have held on to his faith with such determination. But sooner or later, the seeming meaninglessness of the suffering his people endured had to burst into the consciousness of his seemingly unbeatable Jewish faith. In the face of the crematory pit, he said, ``For the first time I felt revolt rise up in me. Why should I bless His name? The Eternal, Lord of the Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for?'' (67) He awoke to the idea that he was ``alone-terribly alone in a world without God...'' (68) Lack of faith turned quickly to despair. If God wouldn't save His children, who would? No one believed the rumors of peace and safety. In the hospital at Auschwitz, Elie met a man consumed with this kind of despair. He said, ``I've got more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He's the only one who's kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people.'' (81) All around him, the number of the faithful were dropping. As hard as they tried to hold on, Elie and others found it hard to believe in God and what he has allowed to happen.
In conclusion, Elie Wiesel went through drastic relationship changes with his father and with God.
In the novel Night tells an autobiography about Elie's time in the Holocaust and the book explains how the relationships with his father, and God change in the event of the time he spent during the Holocaust. One relationship that changes over the course of this novel is Elie’s relationship with his father. At the beginning of Wiesel's story he has almost no relationship with his father. His father was more involved with the Jewish community, and it left no time for him to spend time with his son. They worked together to help him learn Jewish tradition. Elie recalls that his father was: “more concerned about other people than he was with his own family”(Wiesel 4) However, the horror’s of the camps made
them value their relationship. Elie and his father were stuck in the concentration camp and stayed strong for each other throughout the book. As they progress through the concentration camp their bond became stronger because of the need of encouragement and support from each other. As the terrors they faced, Elie had one thought, and it was not to lose his father. When Elie and his father experience the New Year, their relationships have completely changed. Finally, the relationship becomes where Elie hopes for his father's death, so he can give up himself. “I could use all my strength to fight for my own survival, to take care of myself only...”(106). Instantly, he felt ashamed, ashamed of himself forever. Another relationship that changes is Elie's relationship with god. In the beginning, Elie Wiesel's relationship with God in Night shows strong devotion. Wiesel committed to all activities and established the study of the Zohar, and advanced Jewish text, by himself with the help of Moishe the Beadle. Wiesel wished to spend his life focused around Judaism and committed all his free time and energy on religious studies. With Moishe's guidance, they would read the same pages of the Zohar over and over. Wiesel believed that religion was a basic survival need. However, It was not easy for Elie to doubt in God, or he would not have held on to his faith with such determination. But sooner or later, the seeming meaninglessness of the suffering his people endured had to burst into the consciousness of his seemingly unbeatable Jewish faith. In the face of the crematory pit, he said, ``For the first time I felt revolt rise up in me. Why should I bless His name? The Eternal, Lord of the Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for?'' (67) He awoke to the idea that he was ``alone-terribly alone in a world without God...'' (68) Lack of faith turned quickly to despair. If God wouldn't save His children, who would? No one believed the rumors of peace and safety. In the hospital at Auschwitz, Elie met a man consumed with this kind of despair. He said, ``I've got more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He's the only one who's kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people.'' (81) All around him, the number of the faithful were dropping. As hard as they tried to hold on, Elie and others found it hard to believe in God and what he has allowed to happen.
In conclusion, Elie Wiesel went through drastic relationship changes with his father and with God.