Survival and Selfishness: Elie Wiesel's Night

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In the memoir Night, Elie Wiesel shows readers how threatening and dangerous life can be as a Jew in concentration camps when Hitler was reigning over parts of Europe, such as Germany. Born into a semi-normal life, Wiesel, was just a typical Jewish boy who was focusing on his religious studies and education. Years later, Hitler demanded that all Jews must be deported to concentration camps. There, Wiesel becomes separated from other members of his family, leaving him with no one else but his father. Wiesel experiences many near-death situations and learns the importance of survival within the concentration camps. Though some may believe that it was best to be altruistic in the concentration camps, I believe that it is best to be selfish in …show more content…

Throughout the entire conflict of transporting the Jewish individuals to concentration camps, Elie and his father remained by each others’ sides. As time went on, Elie’s father started to feel weak and had no faith to the point where it led him to giving up. Elie tries to convince his father that things will get better and that his father will make it through, but the truth was that his father was not going to make it. While the Blockälteste was speaking to Elie, he stated, “‘Let me give you good advice: stop giving your ration of bread and soup to your old father. You cannot help him anymore. And you are hurting yourself’” (Wiesel, 110). This shows how the Blockälteste believed Elie was better off on his own. The Blockälteste convinced Elie that he had no use in trying to convince his father to have faith and to not give up because all of that would have been for nothing. This led to Elie keeping his father’s ration of bread and soup because it would have been no use for him, hence why being selfish is necessary and allows for one to survive extensively. As time went by, Elie’s father was not healing, and it caused Elie to tend to his father’s needs. When Elie’s father wanted water, an officer demanded that he remained silent, but he disobeyed. Elie refused to get water for his father, and this led to his father begging. Eventually, the officer …show more content…

Although some may believe that it is to be altruistic in order to remain with close ones, but that is false. With all of the events that occur throughout the memoir, it would not help to be altruistic, as the ones close to you will just be holding you back. Many were killed in attempts of protecting others, and their fate did not end greatly. As cruel as it sounds, it is best to be selfish in order for the sake of survival within concentration

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