Name: Javaughn White
Night Essay
Has there ever been a time you felt like you and your father’s relationship feels very
distant. In The book Night, author Elie Wiesel explores his relationship with his father
while they are in the death camps together. In the beginning of the story, Elie and his father
have a hard time being close to one another and are distant. When they are captured and
put in the death camps, they have a better relationship with each other because Elie and his
father actually spend more time together. Then this all changes when towards the end of
the book, Elie starts to lose hope and were fading away slowly. Elie begins to give up on
him and looks to his own survival instead.
In the start of the story, their relationship is distant. For an example, Elie’s Father is not
sentimental. He never shows his feelings and is more concerned with his work in the town than
his family. “My father was a cultured man, rather unsentimental” (Wiesel 4). When Elie wants to
study the Kabbalah, his father discourages him, believing that Elie is too young. “He wanted to
drive the idea of studying Kabbalah from my mind”. Why this shows that Elie and his father
were so distant is because, when you discourage someone you are going to make them feel less
of a person, and that’s what Elie’s father did. When Elie just wanted to study the religion to
please his father, but he is not letting him do that. This is why their relationship was distance in
the beginning of the story.
Towards the middle of the story, Elie and his father became closer because they have no
other choice but to look out and care for each other. When Elie rushes to see his father after the
selection this shows how much Elie really did care for his father and how they look out for one
another when in times of need. “With all my strength I began to race toward Block 36; midway I
met my father. He came toward me: ‘So did you pass?’ ‘Yes and you?’ ‘Also’ ” (Wiesel 73).
When the selection comes and Elie’s father is picked as one of weak ones. Elie is deeply worried
about what’s going to happen “Me too, me too… They told me to stay in the camp” They had
recorded his number without his noticing” (Wiesel 89). Because of the brutality of the camp, Elie
and his father became closer in the middle of the novel.
Towards the end Elie loses hope in his father. He learns to accept he is going to die and
begins to look to his own survival. One prisoner advice was that you can’t help father any more
and it’s too late. And after hearing this Elie really starts to think and it’s true and starts to give up
on his father. “The Doctor cannot do anything more for him. And neither can you”. This is how
Elie and his father grew more apart towards the end of the story.
This is why In Night, Elie and his father’s relationship changes during the story. In
the start of the story, their relationship is distant. Towards the middle of the story, they
become closer and start caring more for each other. Towards the end of the book, Elie
starts to turn away and leave his father. In the start of the story their relationship is distant
again.