People commonly draw similarities between the relationship between father and son and that of a man and their shadow. However, this raises other questions. What is one to do if their shadow becomes larger than themselves? Or perhaps the shadow no longer resembles the man. Such questions arise in the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel and the graphic novel MAUS by Art Spiegelman. While no definite conclusions can be drawn, they act as guidelines in explaining why the family culture that emerges as a result of the holocaust events deters father and son relationships. The Jews all responded differently causing such uprooted father and son connections and proving that similar religious beliefs do not necessarily translate to similar decisions based on extenuating conditions. The loss of the idea of family in the extenuating conditions of Nazi concentration camps emerges as a painstakingly similar theme in both books. For example, as his father gets sicker, Elie’s previously guilt-ridden thoughts are posed as much more justified when the doctor …show more content…
In Night and MAUS, Wiesel and Spiegelman attempt to outline the impact of the varying reactions the Jewish population had about the same idea of fathers and sons. This can relate to society as a whole in the sense that decisions of people with the same morals and principals can not be compared in a setting as mitigating as such. However, the effect is just as great on the individual. Elie stresses the guilt he feels every day for being so inconsiderate for his father despite his plight. Artie alludes to the difficulty he has writing the book he intended for his readers. Comparably, the holocaust is not only specific to a certain group, race, culture, or community but to every single man or women within that group affecting their ability to move forward and prosper as