Eliezer Wiesel recounted his life while staying in a death camp and described his early years in the book ‘Night.’ At the beginning of the story, he lived in Romania together with his family. Deportation of the Jews took place later as the story continued. Being a Jewish boy, he was deported together with other Jews. It was after the deportation that the dreadful events of the Holocaust took place.
From the beginning until the end of the story, Eliezer explained how people suffered during the Second World War. His relationship with certain people changed as he continued to tell the story. The changes later influenced his ability to overcome suffering. This essay looks at how the relationship between Eliezer and his father changed throughout the book ‘Night.’
Eliezer clearly explained the manner in which his relationship with his father changed throughout the story. The relationship played an important role in building his resilience to overcome difficult situations. Before Eliezer went to the death camp, he had a poor relationship with his father. He felt that his father, Chlomo, ignored his family and cared about other people.
Chlomo was a reputable leader of the Jews. Their relationship started to change when Chlomo was attacked by a gypsy. Eliezer expected him to retaliate but he did nothing. This caused him to develop aloofness towards his father. However, he did not ignore him completely. They still relied on each other when other people cared about their survival only.
Although Eliezer was irritated by his father when he could not resist blows from Idek, he still cared about his welfare. This was seen when he came to wish him a Happy New Year at midnight. The two remained silent until Eliezer claimed that they “had never understood one another so clearly.” (Wiesel 65). However, the bond that kept them together prevented them from parting.
Eliezer worried about his father’s safety when he was chosen for selection. At some point, prisoners were evacuated from Buna and were forced to pass through snow and extremely cold places. Eliezer said that his father’s presence was the only thing that kept him moving. Their relationship remained strong throughout the journey because it kept them strong.
When prisoners were getting into cattle cars, Chlomo was nearly thrown out since he looked like a dead person. Eliezer slapped him to force him to move and confirm that he was still alive because he did not want to leave him behind. He said, “the anger I felt at the moment was directed… against my father.” (Wiesel 37).
This demonstrated a strong relationship that existed between Eliezer and his father despite the challenges they had gone through. When Chlomo fell sick, Eliezer still “held onto his father’s hand.” (Wiesel 99). As he took care of him, he thought that he could get rid of him. However, he changed his mind and decided to take care of him and satisfy his needs (Analysis of Major Characters 4).
From the beginning until the end of the story the audiences can see changes that took place in Eliezer’s relationship with his father. There were some instances when he felt irritated by his father but he did not ignore him. The bond between the two helped Eliezer to survive during difficult moments in the death camps. It was indeed the connection between father and son throughout the story that enabled Eliezer to go through traumatizing experiences (Elie’s Relationships with His Father & God 2).
Works Cited
Analysis of Major Characters 2012.
Elie’s Relationships with His Father & God 2006.
Wiesel, Elie. Night,. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012. Print