Night by Elie Wiesel Essay Example for Free

Night by Elie Wiesel Essay In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, there are many father-son duos. In my opinion, a good relationship between a father and his son are vital. Their relationships with each other are varied in terms of agreeability and love for each other. The Germans have sent the Jews off to concentration camps and caused very trying times. They have torn whole family’s apart and sent people at each other’s throats. Elie’s relationship with his father changes over time. During the years prior to Elies Wiesels experience in the Holocaust, Elie and his father shared a distant relationship that lacked a tremendous amount of support and communications but, eventually, their bond strengthens as they rely on each other for survival and comfort. Elie and his father didn’t have the customary father-son relationship. Elie retells that his father did not show signs of encouragement when he wanted to study the Kabbalah: You are too young for that. Maimonides tells us that one must be thirty before venturing into the world of mysticism, a world fraught with peril. First you must study the basic subjects, those you are able to comprehend (13). He recalls that â€Å"my father was a cultured man, rather unsentimental. He was more involved with the welfare of others than with that of his own kin. † (13). After he got transferred to the concentration camp, he lived for his father, which was rare because most of the fathers lived for their sons. This is proven when he revives his personal account of a son fighting his father for a crust of bread: â€Å"Meir, my little Meir! Don’t you recognize me†¦You’re killing your father†¦ I have bread for you too†¦ for you too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (76). Another example of a son abandoning his father is when Rabbi Eliahu’s son abandons him on the way to the next concentration camp. According to him, â€Å"Sons abandoned the remains of their fathers without a tear† (70). Elie and his father were the opposite. He says so himself when he admits that â€Å"my father’s presence was the only thing that stopped me (from giving up on life)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦what would he do without me† (67). Another example is when two â€Å"gravediggers† come to throw his father out of the cattle car, presuming that he is dead. He keeps slapping his father until he opens his eyes and starts breathing. He also wants his father to sleep instead of him, even though he really needs the sleep to maintain the little well-being he can. Although, near the end of his father’s life his opinion changes vastly. He thinks â€Å"If only I didn’t find him! If only I were relieved of the burden, I could use all my strength to fight for my own survival, to take care of only myself† (79). In conclusion, the relationships between father and son are very prominent in this novel. Most relationships are bad in Night due to the survival instinct and the terrible conditions experienced by the Jews during the Holocaust. This just proves that hunger and abuse can send the best of friends at each other’s throats. So what? Prejudice against Jews is a major issue, past or present. Anti-Semitism has been happening from way back in 1290, when Jews got expelled from England, until today when people still (Still In the 21st Century? ) Stereotype against Jews and refuse to go to Jewish-owned businesses. Basically, what I’m saying is that Jews have been blamed for numerous things throughout history for no-apparent reason except that they are a race that is relatively easy to point the finger at because people don’t know a lot about them.