Nothing in human history can compare to the barbarity and the atrocities that were committed in the Nazi concentration/death camps. In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, he describes in detail the horrific events and tragedies that he experienced during the concentration camps. He talks about how he lost his family and how his relationship with his father transitions throughout the story. Elie describes how his relationship with his father evolves from them being distant, to them getting closer, to Elie helping his dad, to his dad becoming his burden.
Before life in the concentration camps, Elie Wiesel recounts about how he was distant from his father. His father was not physically or emotionally involved with his family. One thing …show more content…
Throughout their ordeal, Elie is constantly giving his father part of his rations and this starts to take a negative toll on Elie’s health. When Elie’s father is getting beaten by the factory’s Kapo, Elie says, “Any anger I felt at that moment was directed, not against the Kapo, but against my father” (Wiesel 40). At this point, Elie is aggravated that his father is getting into trouble and making his life more problematic. Elie is able to look past these sufferings and still take care of his father. At one point, he has to instruct his father how on how to march. Elie says, “I decided to give my father lessons myself, to teach him to change step, and to keep to the rhythm” (Wiesel 41). This means that Elie is extracting all of his energy and expending it on his father instead of himself. Eventually, a small part of Elie wants to get rid of his father.
Near the conclusion of the camp when his father is almost completely reliant on him, Elie begins to desire to leave him. Elie sacrifices some of his food to his father even though it will reduce his chances of survival. Near the end of the book Elie says, “If only I could get rid of this dead weight so that I could use all of my strength to struggle for my own survival, and only worry about myself” (Wiesel 77). This is a drastic change for Elie because it is the first time he wishes that his father was