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Childhood In Elie Wiesel's Night

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Childhood In Elie Wiesel's Night
When children are young, they possess an ignorance about their parents’ unerring wisdom. Children progress through life following their parent’s guidance and hold the words said to them at heart. However, when the mind and body continually develops within a child they lose this naive impressionability and during this time they are able to comprehend the truth. This being they have to realize that their parents do not know everything, which understandably leads to dissatisfaction. In Elie Wiesel’s Night, Elie undergoes a similar transformation alongside his father as Elie experiences his father’s conspicuous change. Under the perpetual cruelty and harsh conditions faced in the concentration camps, Elie’s exasperation steadily evolves. His father is the stemming of his …show more content…
Elie is filled with guilt as he thinks to pursue unthinkable things while his father’s strength depletes reversing the roles, where the father starts to depend on child. Elie feels condemned by his father and wishes multiple times to be relieved of his father to use his energy on himself. Elie feels guilty when thinking, “If only I were relieved of this responsibility, I could use all my strength to fight for my own survival, to take care only of myself,” (pg. 106, Wiesel). From the prolonged time spent at the camp, the concept of ‘every man for himself’ has imbedded itself into Elie’s head. He wants to abandon his father for a better chance of survival. The camp’s ideals have gotten into his head, and even though his father is feeble from illness and malnutrition he remains emotionally insensitive towards his father. It’s obvious, because of the ideals lingering in his mind Elie has become the type of person he hates, the one who would abandon their kin when push comes to
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