Imagine knowing your fate ahead of time. That single moment would be stuck in your head, replayed every second to prevent it. This would obstruct your feeling of morals, making you only focus on your own survival. Nothing would get in your way of trying to survive. During the Holocaust, many people were faced with this moment when they stepped in a concentration camp. Elie Wiesel, the author of Night, describes the horrors of focusing on your own survival. Certain acts provoke inhumane acts throughout the ordeal. A central theme in Night is, even though it’s difficult, people should value compassion over their own survival. For instance, the evil of a lack of compassion affects thousands of prisoner lives. The Nazi’s carry out many actions …show more content…
During the final days of Eliezer’s father’s death, Elie’s father completely depends on Elie to bring him food, water, and keep him protected. When Eliezer discovers that his father has been taken away, he thinks to himself, “I did not weep, and it pained me that I could not weep. But I was out of tears. And deep inside me, if I could have searched the recesses of my feeble conscience, I might have found something like: Free at last!...” (Wiesel, 112) When Elie searches through his “feeble conscience”, or weak conscience, his mind is incapable of feeling anything towards his father. His mind is weak from the constant strain and stress of the Holocaust. Your conscience is your mind that tells you right from wrong. This part of Elie’s mind has been worn down immensely so that Elie can no longer feel love or compassion for his father. Through Elie’s use of “free at last” he was demonstrating that Elie was no longer obstructed or weighed down by the presence of his father. Elie only views the death of his father as a relief. When he focused on survival, he no longer had any tears to give. The fight causes Elie to rid himself of all emotions and forget a connection with his father. This is wrong to forget your feeling of compassion, because it pains Elie that he could not cry for his father. Focusing on your own survival makes you forget compassion for those you