Character Analysis Night and Tuesday's with Morrie

Character Analysis Night and Tuesday’s with Morrie
Throughout the novels Night and Tuesday’s with Morrie both Elie Wiesel from Night and Mitch from Tuesday’s with Morrie watched someone slowly die or suffer. Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor who tells his story and explains his experience in the different camps he was placed in. Mitch, after 16 years of no contact with his old college professor Morrie, Mitch finds out that Morrie has ALS and spends every Tuesday with Morrie until the last Tuesday(hence the title). They both went through a lot, just like the people around them.
Night, as mentioned before revolves around the Holocaust. So, there is a lot of death throughout the book. The death that surrounded Wiesel affected him in a positive manner, All the death made Wiesel a stronger person emotionally because he cared about others at first, but then he realized it was survival that mattered and just stopped caring about others. Wiesel changed, he began to question whether his life, or someone else’s life was more important. “If only I didn't find him!” (Wiesel 106). In this quote, Wiesel is questioning himself, and whether or not he should just stop caring about others. A quote that shows Wiesel’s kindness and how much he cared for his father was when his father was ill and left to suffer, burt Wiesel was there with his father the whole time. “I gave him what was left of my soup”(Wiesel 107). Wiesel tried very hard to save his father, gave him his rations, watched him and helped him as much as he could, but still did not succeed. Tuesday’s with Morrie, as said before is about a student finding out his old college professor has ALS and decides to spend every Tuesday with him until his very last Tuesday. Mitch, the student was impacted by his old college professor, Morrie’s death in a positive manner also. Morrie’ death taught Mitch how to deal with death and live before death. After Mitch’s uncle’s death, he did not spend much time with his family and did not take death very well, that was until he started spending time with Morrie. The following quote supports my claim, “Instead, I buried myself in accomplishments, because with accomplishments, I believed I could control things, I could squeeze in every last piece of happiness before I got sick and died, like my uncle before me”(Mitch 6). Mitch did not even have a proper honeymoon because he was so more focused on work, and accomplishing things before he died because he did not want to end up like his uncle. Then, later on when he spent time with Morrie, he changed. He began to value family more, and appreciate it more too. ““This is part of what a family is about, not just love, but letting others know there’s someone who is watching out for them”(Mitch 27). The change in Mitch is seen in the following quotes because he finally realizes what family is and how much it really does matter.