The Holocaust was a horrific event, allowing millions of Jews to die or suffer. The tragic event separated families, not being able to see them ever again. However, in the memoir Night, Elie Wiesel and his father relied on each other and as a result, develops a strong father-son relationship. Wiesel and his father develop a strong father-son relationship throughout Night, experiencing horrific events during the Holocaust. Wiesel's relationship with his father progresses from a codependent relationship to a relationship where Wiesel believes his father is decreasing Wiesel's rate of survival. Wiesel begins to shift away from being completely dependent of his father; as their stay at Birkenau grows longer, Wiesel matures, having a codependent relationship with his father rather …show more content…
Further into the memoir, the father-son relationship develops as Wiesel and his father help each other survive. When Wiesel's father is beaten for not marching correctly, Wiesel begins to teach him: "I decided to give my father lessons in marching in steps, in keeping time. We began practicing in front of our block. I would command: 'Left, right!' and my father would try" (Wiesel 55). Although many of the prisoners mock Wiesel and his father for marching, the father and son tolerate the ridicule and are aware that they have each other's backs. The father-son relationship here expands as they know that the survival of each other is more important than any sort of humiliation or embarrassment. When Wiesel's father thought that he was going to die, he says, "Here, take this knife…I won't need it anymore. You may find it useful. Also take this spoon. Don't sell it. Quickly! Go ahead, take what I'm giving you" (Wiesel 75). Character development from Wiesel's father is displayed in his powerful statement because he is willing to give up his survival weapons in order to guarantee the survival of his son. The relationship is mutual as the father and