Night Elie Wiesel Choices

Personal choices help define who a person becomes. Some choices are more important than others, but they all have outcomes that can affect and influence an individual. In the memoir, Night, by Elie Weisel, Weisel writes about the many choiceless choices he endures while at the concentration camps. Weisel’s choiceless choices revolve around making decisions that determine if he and his father survive. Weisel makes choiceless choices such as: lying about his age, deciding to leave camp instead of staying behind, and choosing to feed himself or his father which develop into Weisel’s story of survival. Each of these situations build the theme of survival as Weisel shares the immoral and awful conditions at the concentration camps which he endures.

He understands that his choice to lie about his age puts him in a position where he is forced to do hard labor work. Wiesel’s options of miserable days of hard labor or death demonstrates how this choiceless choice is not with a welcomed outcome, but to survive he must lie accordingly in order to avoid certain death at the crematorium. Another profound choiceless choice that Weisel considers is for him and his father to leave the camp after they hear that the camp is evacuating due to the Red Army moving closer. Weisel is a part of a small group of people who can stay at the camp since they are in the hospital. Weisel is in the hospital due to a foot injury that has to be operated on. After Weisel and his father hear of the rumor of the Red Army approaching, they discuss the options and conclude what will be best for themselves. Weisel ultimately decides and tells his father, “‘Let’s be evacuated with the others”’ (82). They determine that leaving the camp will be the best decision for their survival because having heard rumors that those in the infirmary may be executed is a choice they did not want to face. Although their decision ends up becoming a harder physical journey, it teaches Weisel how to become mentally stronger and not give up hope of

Weisel’s father becomes sick and close to dying, and Elie feels compelled to provide for his father. Initially, Weisel gives his father part of his rations each day. A few days later Weisel and the Blockalteste talk about his sick father, and the Blockalteste gives him advice. “‘Stop giving your ration of bread and soup to your father. You cannot help him anymore. And you are hurting yourself”’ (110-111). After this conversation, Weisel understands the impact of such a decision. The Blockaltest assures him that if he does not start putting himself first, he will not survive either. Weisel accepts the fact that his father is not doing well, and if he, himself, wants to survive he needs to eat his own food and take care of himself. Although this choice is hard for Weisel to justify, he knows it is the strongest option to ensure his own