Night by Elie Wiesel

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“Night” by Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel’s novel “Night” is about his experiences with his father in the Nazi German concentration camps. One of the themes that emerge from the novel is the fact that “People can draw great strength from family bonds.” At the beginning of this novel, there is nothing to cling on, and prisoners in the camps hold on to their members of the family. They consider staying with one’s family as long as possible as the most important thing. For many prisoners, all that keeps them going is the knowledge that their families are safe. Eliezer’s description of his relationship with his father shows that people can draw strengths from family bonds. He relies on the father for support. Consequently, his love for the father is what allows him to endure the conditions of the prison. During their run to Gleiwitz, he claims, “My father’s presence was the only thing that stopped me from allowing myself to die. . . . I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his only support” (Wiesel and Wiesel, 2006 48). The family relationship shows that Eliza’s solidarity and love for his father are stronger forces that helped him survive than the instincts of self-preservation.
However, there are some cases of conflict between love and loyalty to families versus self-preservation as a result of the increased suffering of the prisoners. For instance, Rabbi’s son abandons his weak and slow father during the terrible run to Buchenwald to increase his chances of surviving.

Eliezer feels disgusted with the horrible selfishness that he sees around, more so, when it entails the rift of family bonds. On several occasions, he talks of sons mistreating their fathers because for him, sees the family bond as a source of strength.
Works Cited
Wiesel, E. and Wiesel, M. (2006). Night. 1st ed. New York.