Introduction
Night by Elie Wiesel is a powerful memoir describing the author’s Holocaust experiences. The fragmented story represents Wiesel’s loss of faith and trust in humanity because of the horrors he witnessed in German concentration camps. However, the text also emphasizes the importance of family relations and support. Although the book shows the atypical father and son relationship, it remains the vital factor affecting the narrator during the tough times of the Holocaust.
Most Horrendous Night
The theme of family relations is central to the narration. At the start, the author introduces one of the most horrendous nights in his life and remembers his father’s words: “…Eliezer, my son, come here … I want to tell you something … Only to you … Come, don’t leave me alone…Eliezer…” (Wiesel 11). The father wanted the main hero to be close to him in his agony, which was extremely difficult for Elie. The pain of that memory became one of the central motifs in the story.
The Pain of Not Helping Father
The narrator could not move to his father as it meant sacrificing his life in the Nazi camp. Instead, he remained silent and left his father alone in agony. Thinking about this moment, Eliezer says, “I shall never forgive myself” (Wiesel 12). This episode introduces the fear of being alone in the death and suffering of German soldiers and the strength of father-son relations.
Inability to Forgive Himself
Eliezer’s inability to forgive himself evidences the power of his feelings for his father and the pain he felt being a prisoner in a camp. At the same time, the story shows that caring for the father was the thing that helped him to remain a human being, as against those who killed people and tortured them.
Conclusion
Altogether, the father-and-son relationship theme is essential to the story. Night by Elie Wiesel depicts the horrible experiences of Jewish people in German death camps. The narrator feels much grief because of helplessness; however, being close to his father is a salvation.
Work Cited
Wiesel, Elie. Night. Hill and Wang, 2006.