Colin Snow
Elie and his father's relationship in Night by Elie Wiesel is a complex one, strained by their imprisonment in a concentration camp. Elie's father is described as more concerned with the community than his family, and their relationship is initially distant. However, as the story progresses, their relationship evolves, with Elie feeling a sense of duty and love for his father, and they support each other through their shared suffering. Elie's father's health declines rapidly, and Elie is faced with the difficult decision of whether to stay by his father's side or prioritize his own survival. The dynamic between Elie and his father is a central theme in the memoir, reflecting the emotional complexities and harsh realities of their situation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Relationship | Distant, strained, and shattered |
| Reason for Distance | Elie's father cared more about the community than his family, and Elie felt a sense of ownership and cold formality towards his father |
| Elie's Feelings | Guilt, shame, relief |
| Elie's Father's Health | Declining, afflicted with dysentery |
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What You'll Learn
Elie's relationship with his father is strained and distant
Elie Wiesel's relationship with his father in his memoir, "Night," is strained and distant, especially after they are sent to the concentration camps. At the beginning of the book, Elie describes his relationship with his father as distant, with the latter being more concerned about the community than his family. Elie's father is always occupied with his business and working with the community, and he never wanted to study the cabbala with Elie because he was too young.
As the story progresses, their relationship becomes even more strained due to the harsh conditions and Elie's father's declining health. Elie's father falls ill with dysentery, and Elie struggles to care for him, even giving him water despite knowing it is dangerous for a man with dysentery to drink. Despite their differences, Elie tries to save his father from being taken away by the Nazis, and he is afraid of losing him. He decides to remain in Buchenwald to help take care of his father, even though he knows that staying with him could jeopardize his life.
Elie's relationship with his father is further strained by the "each for himself" mentality that develops in the camp. Elie begins to feel that he would be better off without the burden of having to look after his father. He feels deep guilt as he would rather keep food for himself to increase his chances of survival. When Elie wakes up one night, he wonders who is lying next to him—father or son—and why he should even care. Their relationship has become so shattered that there is now a mental partition drawn between them, signifying the permanence of their differences and the distance created by the events in the concentration camp.
Elie's strained relationship with his father can be attributed to the horrific circumstances they endure and the survival mentality that develops in the camp. Despite their differences and distance, Elie's actions, such as staying with his father and trying to save him from the Nazis, show that their relationship is also characterized by love and duty.
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Elie's father is taken away to the crematory
Elie Wiesel's memoir, "Night," details his harrowing experiences during the Holocaust, including his strained relationship with his father amid their fight for survival in concentration camps. The journey to Buchenwald severely weakens Eliezer's father, and upon arrival, he refuses to move, seemingly giving in to death. Eliezer tries to convince him to get up but to no avail. When an air raid alert forces everyone into the barracks, Eliezer leaves his father behind and falls asleep. The next morning, he half-heartedly searches for his ailing father and eventually finds him. Despite his father's worsening condition, Eliezer grapples with conflicting emotions, feeling guilty for wanting to keep food for himself and even experiencing relief at the thought of his father's potential death.
Eliezer's relationship with his father is a central theme in "Night." Initially, their connection is distant, with Eliezer noting that his father is more concerned about the community than his family. However, as the narrative progresses, their relationship evolves. Eliezer, at 13, expresses his desire to "be there for his father and live for him," viewing love as a form of self-sacrificial duty. This sentiment guides him through their shared struggles, as evidenced by his efforts to wake his sleeping father to protect him from the SS officers and their eventual arrival at Buchenwald.
Despite Eliezer's attempts to care for his father, their relationship becomes strained and distant due to the harsh camp conditions. The constant struggle for survival fosters an "each for himself" mentality, and Eliezer finds himself at a crossroads. On one hand, he is torn by his sense of familial duty and the need to honour his parents. On the other hand, he grapples with the pragmatic reality of survival, where he wonders if he would be better off without the burden of caring for his father. This internal conflict reflects the severance of emotional bonds that haunts Eliezer, foreshadowing the potential breakdown of their relationship.
The moment that Elie's father is taken away to the crematory marks a pivotal point in the memoir. On January 29, 1945, Eliezer wakes up to discover that his father has been taken away, and he feels neither sadness nor grief. Instead, he experiences a sense of relief, a "selfish little hideous" joy that his father is no longer suffering. This realisation shocks Elie, forcing him to confront the radical denial of filial faith and the shattering of their relationship. Despite his father's deteriorating health, Eliezer remains in Buchenwald, choosing to stay and care for his father despite the head of the block advising him to focus on his survival.
The crematory scene underscores the emotional complexity of Eliezer's journey and the toll it takes on his faith and familial duty. The relief he feels upon his father's death suggests a break in their relationship, a moment where survival trumps emotional connection. This event is a stark reminder of the Holocaust's worst aspect: the forced abandonment of parents by their children in the name of survival. As Elie grapples with his conflicting emotions, the reader bears witness to the profound ways in which the Holocaust tested the bonds of humanity, faith, and family.
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Elie feels relief and shame about his father's death
In the book *Night* by Elie Wiesel, Elie feels a sense of relief and shame about his father's death. On January 29, 1945, Elie wakes up to find that his father has been taken to the crematory. Despite feeling ashamed, he does not cry and instead feels a sense of relief. This is because his father's death means that Elie will no longer have to bear the burden of looking after him. Elie's relationship with his father has become strained and distant during their time in the concentration camps, and Elie has begun to feel that he would be better off without his father slowing him down.
Elie's sense of relief at his father's death is contrasted with his earlier desire to protect and care for his father. At the beginning of the memoir, Elie, who is just over 13 years old, expresses his willingness to "be there for his father and live for him". He sees love as a form of self-sacrificial duty, prioritizing his father's needs above his own. However, as their situation becomes more dire, Elie's relationship with his father deteriorates. He begins to feel a sense of resentment and distance towards his father, referring to him as "my father" in a cold and formal manner.
Elie's father's declining health and weakness further strain their relationship. Elie is faced with the difficult choice between preserving his own survival and caring for his father. He knows that giving water to a man with dysentery is dangerous, but he cannot resist his father's cries for help. Despite his efforts, Elie is unable to save his father, who is beaten by an SS officer during an air raid. Elie's father's death represents the ultimate severance of their emotional connection, and Elie is left feeling a mix of relief and shame.
The theme of filial duty and the conflict between self-preservation and familial loyalty are central to Elie's experience in *Night*. The author, Elie Wiesel, explores the ways in which extreme circumstances can test and break the bonds between family members. Despite feeling relief at his father's death, Elie is haunted by the realization that he, like Rabbi Eliahou's son, has abandoned his father in the name of survival. This denial of filial faith and the associated guilt and shame have a profound impact on Elie's sense of self and his relationship with his father.
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Elie's father is suffering from dysentery
Elie Wiesel's book "Night" is a memoir of his experiences during the Holocaust. The book explores his relationship with his father, which is initially distant but becomes closer as they endure the horrors of concentration camps together.
Elie's father is afflicted with dysentery, a condition that causes severe thirst. Elie's father is confined to his bed and is in a state of declining health and strength. Elie tries to find medical help, but to no avail. The prisoners sharing the barracks with Elie and his father steal his food and beat him. Elie's father cries out for water, but it is dangerous to give water to someone with dysentery. Elie, unable to bear his father's suffering, gives him water. This act of compassion puts Elie's own survival at risk, as he is going against the advice of the head of the block, who tells him that his father is dying and that he should focus on his own survival.
Elie's father's illness and weakness weigh heavily on Elie, who feels a sense of duty and responsibility for his father. The strain of their situation takes a toll on their relationship, and Elie begins to feel that he might be better off without the burden of caring for his sick father. Despite these thoughts, Elie decides to remain in Buchenwald to care for his father.
The memoir "Night" ends without revealing whether Elie's father recovers from dysentery. The final line of the book suggests that Elie's survival is a stroke of luck, and he is left with the haunting memory of seeing a corpse in the mirror, symbolizing the trauma and loss he has endured.
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Elie's father is beaten by prisoners and SS officers
Elie and his father take turns sleeping as they are both exhausted from their journey to Buchenwald, which has fatally weakened Elie's father. Elie's father is deathly ill and sits in the snow, refusing to move. Elie tries to convince him to get up, but he will not or cannot, asking only to be allowed to rest. Elie eventually leaves his father and falls deeply asleep.
Elie's father is physically assaulted twice in this chapter. First by his fellow prisoners, and second by the SS officer. The beatings occur as the prisoners and officers are frustrated with Elie's father for different reasons. The prisoners are angry because they have to share space with someone who cannot take care of themselves, while the officer is trying to maintain order and silence in the barracks.
Elie's reaction to his father being beaten is complex. On the one hand, he is unable to resist his father's cries for help and gives him water, even though it is dangerous. On the other hand, he feels deep guilt and shame about his inability to help his father more and his own desire to conserve his strength and resources for himself. He also hides and does not speak up when his father is being beaten, for fear of being beaten himself.
The beatings of Elie's father are a turning point in the memoir, as they symbolize the complete dehumanization and loss of hope that Elie experiences. The beatings also contribute to Elie's father's death, as he is already very ill and weakened. Elie's father slowly dies, calling out to his son, after being hit on the head by a guard.
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Frequently asked questions
Elie and his father take turns sleeping to ensure their survival. Elie slaps his father to wake him up so that the SS officers do not throw him out. Elie also saves his father from being taken away by the SS officers.
Elie's relationship with his father becomes strained and distant as the story progresses. He feels a sense of relief when his father is taken to the crematory, and he does not cry. He also feels a "selfish little hideous" joy that his father can no longer suffer.
Elie decides to remain in Buchenwald to care for his father. He brings him soup and coffee and gives him water, despite it being dangerous due to his dysentery.
Elie sees his love for his father as a self-sacrificial duty. He wants to "be there for his father and live for him". He also expresses that he "mustn't disappoint them".
Elie is shocked to learn that Rabbi Eliahou's son abandoned his father during their march to Gleiwitz. This realization haunts him as he fears having to make a similar choice between self-preservation and loyalty to his father.
