Night Essay

* Mr. Sutherland, this isn't my best work at all. Please consider that.


     Most of us decide our fate evryday we live. In the book Night, Elie's fate is determined for him. At a concentration camp,  his fate can be death at any moment. His motive is to survive, but there are conflicts holding him back. Elie's struggle to avoid his fate is hindered by the complicated relationship he must endure with his father.


      In the beginning, Elie is seperated from all of his female relatives and is only with his father. Being that is the only family member he has left, Elie is determned to keep him alive. However, considering the circumstances they are under, keeping his father as well as himself breathing is not going to be easy.  Another victim reminds him,  "Don't forget that you're in a concentration camp. Here, every man has to fight for himself and not think of anyone else...even of his father...don't give your ration of bread and soup to your old father...you ought to be having his ration (pg. 105)." Elie wants to save his father, but becomes conflicted because he also wants to save himself. If he had kept his food as well as his father's, it'd only be one meal closer to his father's death, which Elie so badly wants to prevent. Elie is risking his survival in the camp by trying to save his father, thus pushing himself to his sure death. His conflict continues as his father brings about more trouble.


      As time passes in the concentration, abuse from the authorities - also known as SS officers - gets worse. The men in the camp who were strong and useful were allowed to be kept alive, while those who were weak and useless were put to death. Elie's dad was growing older and becoming weak and unable to keep up with the officers expectations. When he lied back, sick and craving water, Elie watched as his father was beat up, but did nothing. "The officer came up to him and shouted at him to be quiet...he went on calling me...the officer dealt him a violent blow on the head...I did not move. I was afriad. My body was afraid of also recieving a blow (105-106)." Elie's father was at his most vulnerable point, when he needed his son the most, but could not reach him. Elie ignored his father's claims in fear of his fate, death. Had Elie helped or even protected his father from the SS officer, he may have gotten a blow to the head himself, maybe even worse than his father had. This may have resulted in is father's death, but Elie allowed it so long as it kept him alive. He ignored his father for the saftey of his own being.  The sooner he realizes his father is a nuisance to his survival, the sooner he wants his father gone all together.


      By a certain point, Elie wants nothing more but to live through his horrid journey. With his father tailing on toe, Elie realizes it may not be easy to survive. At the same time, he is conflicted because he wants to save his father as well. As his father grew old and sick, his death became eminent. Elie could only do so much for his father, but limited his services for fear of the fate that may come. Elie woke up to his father's bed, replaced with another person. Now that he was finally gone, Elie was relieved to say, "I did not weep...and, in the depths of my being...I might perhaps have found something like - free at last! (106)" Sad to say, his father had died, but he was happy. He no longer had to feed or protect another (barely) living being, and is able to avoid the possible fate he had coming with his father in toe. Elie could finally care for only himself, and bear any small tragedies he had before him. His biggest conflict was over.


       Elie's fate of death was avoided by overlooking his biggest conflict - his father. Elie strived to keep his self and father alive, but in the end knew he could not. His father's death ultimately ended with Elie's neglect. To avoid a terrible fate may require sacrifices. Elie successfully avoided his fate.