Night By Elie Wiesel Analysis

Imagine getting put into a situation so severe that the extent of your dreams are the thoughts of an extra food ration. Well Elie Wiesel was put into a situation so horrific and traumatizing that this is the extent of things he considers nothing short of a miracle. This story is written by Elie Wiesel and it is about his experience within the Nazi Concentration camps. WIthin this story we can see the relationship that he has with his father and how these camps begin to alter it. We also see some of the traumatizing events that takes place within the camps and what makes them so horrific and so life altering. Elie and his father’s relationship begins to take a big turn when the dynamic of Elie depending on his father switches. This is also when

Elies father plays a major part in Elies initial questioning of his faith. An example that proves this is when Elie says “Yet at the same time a thought crept into my mind: If only I didn't find him! If only I were relieved of this responsibility, I could use all my strength to fight for my own survival, to take care only of myself … Instantly, I felt ashamed, ashamed of myself forever.” This shows how Elie is questioning his faith because he feels guilty that he has been having thoughts of leaving his father behind because of the burden he places on him. This shows how ashamed and upset with himself Elie is every time those thoughts come into his head and is a major reason why his relationship with religion is begginning to fade. The Closer Elies father gets to dying the more Elie releases what is going on and he finally quits thinking of his father as a burden and starts coming to his aid. An example of this in the text is when Elies father is sick and it says "My hands were aching, I was clenching them so hard. To strangle the doctor and the others! To set the whole world on fire! My father's murderers! This shows at the end of the day how much his father means to him despite all of the things he said and how he would do anything if it meant he could be well

The loss of of Elies father leads to Elies biggest shift in attitude and identity. Proof of this is when Elie says “I REMAINED IN BUCHENWALD until April 11. I shall not describe my life during that period. It no longer mattered. Since my father's death, nothing mattered to me anymore.” This shows how much importance Elies father had in his life and experience at the camps because once his father is gone he does not feel his time at the camps is important enough to discuss. The concentration camps effected Elie and his fathers relationship so much that when the time came for Elie to mourn his father he could not because of all the circumstances he had been affected by. Proof of this is when Elie says “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!…” Due to the istinct of survival being the driving force in Elies life we can see how Elie treats his fathers death in a much different way than he would have in a regular