Night By Elie Wiesel: Character Analysis

When someone is exposed to danger, their character can change in unthinkable ways. Someone can act strong but cower in fear when a life changing event occurs; meanwhile, someone timid can be vicious and cruel. This change occurs in many different scenarios, one being the Holocaust with Elie Wiesel. In the book, Night, Elie is first seen becoming closer to his once distant father. Later, he starts to become less concerned with what happens to his father but still tries to assist him. The real change occurs towards the end when Elie is considering letting his father die by taking his father’s food for himself. So as time went on, the Holocaust breaks Elie’s will to save his father because of Elie’s realization of his father’s weaknesses, the

One example of this reaction would be when a German slaps Elie’s father for asking a simple question, “... he slapped my father… I stood petrified… I had not even blinked” (39). This scene shows how Elie is slowly becoming less concerned with his father. Although some may say because the German would’ve shot him if he stepped in, that isn’t a valid reason to just act like you [no second person] don’t care for the only person you can count on. Another example of Elie’s reaction to brutality inflicted upon his father would be when a German officer decides to take his anger out on Elie’s father:, “The victim this time was my father… I thought of stealing away in order not to suffer the blows” (56). Elie is now starting to consider leaving his father in order to save himself, without even thinking about how his father would feel even if he was knew he was watching it all. A final quote that illustrates his reaction to violence inflicted upon his father for this would be shortly after the beating of his father by the same soldier as he thinks, “What’s more, if I felt anger at that moment, it was not directed at the Kapo but at my father. Why’d couldn’t he have avoided Idek’s wrath?” (56). Not only is Elie unsure if he actually felt anger for the beating of his father, but he also even goes on to saying how his father brought it upon himself without any sign of sympathy. Even though Elie used to care so much for his father in the beginning, the experiences he’s gone through forces him to change in unexpected