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Persepolis Coming Of Age Essay

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Coming of age is a common theme throughout Night and Persepolis. In both books a tragedy happens to the main characters forcing them to mature faster than the average teenager. The war had shaped Marji so that she would be able to leave her country for safety, and for Eliezer he had been going through the Holocaust and was forced to develop faster and gain the strength to carry himself and his father through all of it. Both Eliezer and Marji had to overcome adversity and each of them took a different path to coming of age. In Night, Eliezer had to overcome the weight of losing all of his family at first and then later on seeing his father suffer. For a teenager that is a very brutal situation to be put through. Eliezer had to watch others …show more content…

At the beginning of the Holocaust they went through their first selection and Eliezer describes it as something he’ll never forget by saying, “ Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever” (Wiesel 22(pdf) ). The detail he put into his experience brings the reader to a full understanding of just how bad Eliezer’s conditions are. After getting through a couple more selections Eliezer’s dad showed he was unable to march in step, and the officers took advantage of that as an excuse to confiscate Eliezer’s gold tooth. The officer would, “ torment him and, on a daily basis, [decide] to thrash him savagely” (Wiesel 55). After seeing his father tormented, Eliezer learned to hide his emotions and put his mind over matter. Later on the officers try tormenting his father again but Eliezer just waits till the end and helps his father afterwards. Religion is a big part of Eliezer’s life, and throughout the book his perspective about God changes due to his maturity. Before the Holocaust he thinks if God will help you whneer because you have always been loyal to him. Unfortunately, Eliezer will come to realize

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Eliezer’s best traits come out and allow him to survive his terrible ordeal, which are adaptability, determination, patience, and perseverance. Elie uses his father as his reason to persevere and keep on going through. For example, whenever Eliezer’s father dies, Eliezer loses all function and does not even want to recount how empty and lonely he felt. On page 32, Eliezer describes how great his fear of

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