Night by Elie Wiesel - Book Report/Review Example

1. Analysis of father-son relationship-Elie Wiesel and father The relationship between Elie Wiesel and his father Chlomo can be identified as ‘the changing relationship’ throughout the book. At the beginning of the novel it was not close. His father was a stern personality and he had never seen his father cry. His father was not interested in his study at Kabbalah. In short, his relationship at that stage was distant but he was a responsible father and took care of the family well. In the concentration camp the relationship takes an altogether different turn, and it must be remembered that this relationship formed not in the normal circumstances, but in desperate conditions in the concentration camp life. So the relationship does not reveal the traits of both individuals under normal circumstances, but under extreme duress. In desperate situations, people try to find desperate remedies. The bonding has an element of compulsion, borne out of love, anxiety and concern about the welfare of each other. To begin with, in the concentration camp, their relationship has been supportive. As the pressure in the camp mounts, and torture procedures become too humiliating, his turmoil of the inner world increases and he feels that his father is a burden to him. At the same time, he feels guilty about that feeling. His mind is in a chaotic condition. Their relationship and living in togetherness is important to both of them, as that mutual backing provides psychological support to their existence. But the stress of Nazi oppression was intolerable and as such the father-child link grows weak. It grows up in a unique manner and Elie faces the adolescent challenges within their relationship. In the grim situations in the camp, Elie was compelled to make certain choices, which in the normal course he would not have done. He had to make consistent choices whether to remain with his father or not, on account of his father’s health. In the middle chapters of the book an ideal situation develops. The grown up Elie and his father develop relationship of equality, Elie’s physical strength provides solace to his father and he supports his son psychologically and emotionally. In the concluding part of the book Chlomo’s health worsens and Elie takes over the role of an adult by taking care of his father and making important decisions. In the concentration camp the father son relationship was not a matter of personal choice alone. What was happening in the camp to which Elie was the eye witness also affected his relationships with his father. For example, Elie elucidates an anecdote wherein a prisoner murders his father for the sake of bread, which is an act of mind-boggling cruelty and breakdown of humanity (p.101-102). Seized with that thought, Elie clings to his father with the psychological fear, whether he would resort to such type of violence and his act reveals that he stands by humanity. The stressful test to the father-son relationship happens in the early part of the novel at Auschwitz. Elie’s father, down with colic, requests for the restroom. The guard strikes the old man and Elie is helpless to stall the violence: He writes, “I did not move. What had happened to me? My father had just been struck, before my very eyes, and I did not flicker an eyelid. I had looked on and said nothing” (p.39).In another heart-rending scene, Rabbi Eliahou looks out for his son, who left his father behind during the Death March. Elie recalls: A terrible through loomed up in my mind: he had wanted to get rid of his father! He had felt that his father was growing weak, he had believed that the end was near and had sought this separation in order to get rid of the burden…My God, Lord of the Universe, give me strength never to do what Rabbi Eliahou’s son has done (p.90-91). The death of his father throws open the gates of the true emotional world of Elie Wiesel. He writes, Then my father made a rattling noise and it was my name: ‘Eliezer…’ I did not move…His last word was my name. A summons, to which I did not respond…I did not weep and it pained me that I could not weep. But I had no more tears. And, in the depths of my being, in the recesses of my weakened conscience, could I have searched it, I might perhaps have found something like – free at last (p.111-112). In all fairness it must said that Elie maintained his dedication to his father and stood by the commitments that a son can do to his father under such grim circumstances. 2. Discuss in depth whether Elie loses his religions’ faith or not by the end of the night a. Possibly he lost his faith Elie lost his faith in God, family and humanity through the bitter experiences encountered by him in the Nazi concentration camp. He writes, "Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my god and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes (p. 34). Elie prayed God many times intensively to liberate him from the miserable existence in the concentration camp but help was not forthcoming from the divine sources. "Why should I bless his name? The eternal, lord of the universe, the all-powerful and terrible was silent."(p. 31). The shifting exercises resulted in fatal casualties of the internees. Describing one such gory incident he stated, “His cold eyes stared at me. At last, he said wearily: I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people”. (p. 80) His personal suffering compounded by witnessing the sufferings of other helpless prisoners in the concentration camp. b. Possibly his faith was stronger What is mentioned at (a) above is only the part of truth. He did not severe his connections with God totally. But his serious complaint against the functioning of God was why God should allow Germans to kill him and thousands of innocent Jews, including women and children. He clarifies the position by asserting, "I did not deny god's existence, but I doubted his absolute justice..."(p. 42). Thus he continued to maintain the level of confidence and the courage to push to the front in the face of the grim circumstances that engulfed him, his father and all other inmates in the camp. c. Possibly he lost his faith, he changed his faith As days rolled by, Elie realised that his ailing father was a liability to him. That was a grim development within his inner world, for which his conscience was not in agreement with him. Since his father was getting weaker, he argued that he did not have the strength to survive on his own, and as such it was too late to save him. He writes, "It's too late to save your old father, I said to myself."(p. 105).His argument that the only way to live is to take care of oneself, though sounds good in principle, he felt guilty about his inability to help is father. Not to think about others was not possible for him. Yet he concludes, “Here, every man has to fight for himself and not think of anyone else. Even of his father."(p. 105) He thinks of himself, resigns to the onslaught of the impending circumstances in the camp. d. Possibly he has his faith he rebelled he has strong question The loss of his father did not solve his secular problems in the camp but they added to the existing bundle of his confusions. To live a solitary life, without the association and affectionate company of his father, he felt, was impossible for him. He had nothing to look forward to in life and it was all over. He writes, "My mind was invaded suddenly by this realisation there was no more reason to live, no more reason to struggle."(p. 93). His survival capacity touched the zero level. Earlier, though desperate, the consolation point was that through the concentration camp ordeal, he had the company of his father. With his departure, it was impossible for him to retain his faith. 3. Analysis the depth of “Soup” in Night The “soup” incident provides the grim reminder of the atrocities of the Nazi guards in charge of the camp. Getting food was a serious problem for the prisoners. At Buna, Elie was called by the dentist to have his gold crown removed. He pretended to be ill. The dentist, he later discovered, was hanged. Elis, was trying his best to get some food to beat hunger and stay alive. The prison foreman, Franek came to know about Elie’s gold crown and demanded it. On his refusal, Franek beat his father. And in the end, he gave the crown. Elie happened to witness Idek having sex with a Polish girl. Idek lashed him ruthlessly and warned him of grim consequences if he uttered a word about the sex episode. During an air raid two cauldrons of soup were left unattended. A prisoner edged to get them, but was shot before he consumed a part of it. 4. Discuss your choice in Night In his Nobel Prize Acceptance speech Wiesel declared, “As long as one dissident is in prison, our freedom will not be true. As long as one child is hungry, our life will be filled with anguish and shame.” (p.120) Wiesel is absolutely right. My choice is the approach of Erie Wiesel to the issues he has dealt with. With the minimum of details, he has elucidated the maximum about the Nazi holocaust, the depositions of humanity at its best and at its worst. This is a highly subjective story that mirrors the working of the mind of the Nazis. To kill anyone is bad. To enjoy the killing process is the worst that can be expected from a human being. Nazis killed Jews in millions and each killing is a ghastly story by itself. To find fault with anyone for not keeping faith in God, if he is placed in the sufferings undergone by Elie, is totally correct. He rightly lost faith in God, and his treatment of fellow human beings in the concentration camp and governance of this world through the system of justice. Nothing proved right in his life, and he received blows after blows from destiny. In his struggle for survival in the concentration camp, his father played a prominent role. So also, Elie’s commitment to his father reminds the readers that there is a life outside the holocaust. His private universe was totally different from the universe created by them in the camp. The killers controlling the camp had no previous enmity with those they killed. Wiesel is modest about the credentials of the contents of the book. He has no opportunity and he admits, nor does the enthusiasm, to take note on the day to day happenings in those four demonic years. The details in the entire book originate from his memory. Slightest suspicion on the part of the camp authorities on the movements of an individual would invite tortuous death. The dark events, knowing which, the world outside has a chance to know the realities of that ignoble period, are taken care of in the book. The description of the brutalities can go on and on endlessly and Wiesel admits that it is not the main purpose of the book. The book is a silent prayer to humanity that all must strive that such events are never repeated in future. Any political systems such as Capitalism, Socialism, Communism or Fascism cannot achieve peace and harmony in the world. The individuals are the building bricks of the society. The individuals need to change. Can any religion change people? The answer is both yes and no. Any religion, as it is practiced by the followers today, cannot change the society. Mind-level conflicts are bogging down the real growth of religions. But practice of true spirituality can change human beings. Spirituality is something that transcends the mind. At that level, all differences cease; conflicts are no more there. We need to give such an orientation to human beings, right from childhood. When the thought process of the individuals changes, the action process also changes! When the thoughts are changed, the mind is changed; when the mind is changed, the man is changed; when the man is changed, the society is changed. Universal peace then becomes an attainable reality. Books like “Night” can be written by any author only once in the lifetime. Though it is not a well-researched book, its contents emanate straight from the author’s heart. An individual thinks of issues related to God etc. from the level of the progression of his mind. It is true that as an intensely suffering and a boy with a shattered personality and the devastated family, like anybody in Wiesel’s position would have turned cynical and would not believe in the existence of God. He was not wrong then; he is not wrong now when he argues that some Supreme Power runs affairs of the world. Wiesel is not elated that the book has been a tremendous success. What is important to him is that the stir that the book has created in the hearts of people and the positive outcomes of the same, which he considers as his reward. Even while enjoying a very comfortable position, viewed from any angle, Wiesel admits that he can never be a normal man as the image of the horror camps and that of the pile of stinking bodies at the crematorium remains imprinted on the portals of his mind. The pages of human history daubed in bloodshed on account of mindless violence in World War I and II, Nanking, Nazi concentration camps, religious intolerance, color and race conflicts, aggrandisement of wealth, and territorial annexations, ask the crying question. How to make this Planet Earth heaven-like? The answer is simple and direct; eyes full of sympathy, hearts full of affection and the life that refuses clashes—enough, these alone are enough! Wiesel is modest about the credentials of the contents of the book. He had no opportunity or enthusiasm, to take note on the day to day happenings in those four demonic years. He puts a question to himself and answers, “Why did I write it? Did I write it so as not to go mad or, on the contrary, to go mad in order to understand the nature of madness?”(p. vii) One of the greatest tragedies overtook his race and Wiesel’s challenging question was how God dealt with a particular section of humankind atrociously and allowed the perpetrators of the crimes a free hand? Does He often default in dispensing justice? This question often generates in the minds of common people often during the difficult times of their life. Wiesel has provided the answer in his cryptic style but it is for the readers to grasp, how he has done it in the pages of “Night”. References Cited Wiesel, Elie. (2006). Night: Trans. Marion Wiesel. New York: Hill and Wang. Print Read More