Eliezer Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, shares his story of survival in the memoir titled Night. Augusten Burroughs, who faces many forms of emotional abuse throughout his childhood and early adulthood, does the same through the memoir titled Running with Scissors. These two young men each manage to make it through these difficulties by focusing on their goals. Eliezer hoping to survive and support his father, and Augusten dreaming of being under the spotlight, the two of them are able to overcome their individual struggles. Eliezer Wiesel’s struggles begin when he is around the age of fifteen years old. In the midst of their average lives, Elie and his fellow Jews find their lives being turned upside down. Separated from his mother and sisters, Elie is left with only his father, along with many strangers. In this unfamiliar place, Elie faces both physical and emotional abuse each day. Just a slight drop in his determination could cost Eliezer his life. On the verge of giving up, Eliezer reminds himself that he is all that his father really has, his only support. Not only does he need to survive for himself, but also for his father. …show more content…
Since childhood, Augusten is emotionally abused. With an unloving father and selfish mother who are always arguing amongst one another, Augusten is basically left on his own. When he isn’t alone, he is sent to live with his mother’s doctor and his dysfunctional family. Being under pressure because of his mother and her repetitive breakdowns, or his needy, adult boyfriend, Augusten finds himself resenting almost everyone in his life, wishing he could be anyone but himself. Keeping him on track, though, is his dream of being in the spotlight. Whether it’s being a cosmetologist or playing a doctor in a soap opera, Augusten craves the attention he never