Father Son Relationship In Night By Elie Wiesel

In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, Elie describes his horrifying experience of being a Jew during the time of the Holocaust. He was stripped of possessions, family, and humanity. He describes his only saving grace as his father, although they didn’t have the greatest relationship at the beginning of the book. Throughout the story we see, through the eyes of Elie himself, that his relationship with his father becomes less of a traditional father-son connection and more of a bond that can never be broken. The idea of fathers and sons is a fundamental part of Elie’s growth and journey during the Holocaust. Immediately after arriving at the concentration camp of Auschwitz, Elie was separated from his mother and sisters. He remained alone with his father, and clung to him, saying, “All I could think of was not to lose him. Not to remain alone.”(Wiesel 30). As they together went through the interrogation, showers, and the barber, Elie found himself taking care of his father. Being fifty years old, the work was hard for him, and not ideal for a man his age. Elie would look out for him, making sure he got his proper food and rest. Although they did not have the greatest relationship, that was soon forgotten as their need for survival deepened.

His father had become all he had left. They would lean on each other for care and support, and without even talking Elie realizes “Never before had we understood each other so clearly.”(Wiesel 69). However, it was during this point in time when Elie began to question human existence, wondering what it would be like if he could just die right then. The SS were making them run all night and he felt as if he couldn’t go on. Although he wanted to be free of it all, he makes this statement: “My father’s presence was the only thing that stopped me…I had no right to let myself die…I was his sole support.”(Wiesel 86). Elie was only living for his