Changes in Elie Wiesel in the book Night Essay Example

Elie Wiesel goes through various changes in the book Night that is visible as the storyline of the book progresses. There are changes in areas such as his motivation, religious beliefs, and his relationships. With him having changes in these aspects of his life, it has changed him as a person. It changes his reasons for living, what he believes in, and how he acts towards other people. The assorted areas in which he changed, greatly impacted him as a person.

From the beginning to the end of the book, Elie’s motivation is driven by different elements in his life. In the beginning, Elie is driven and excited about seeing Moché the Beadle and having Moché the Beadle teach him about Zohar, the cabbalistic books, also known as the secret Jewish mysticism. This was before he knew how drastically different his new life would be. In comparison, near the end of the book his motivation, what little he had left, was focused on staying alive to look after his father. It was hard for him to always stay motivated, especially in times of frailty and hardships. However, he knew if he did not stay alive there would be no one to look after his father. 

With his motivation changing, it ties into his relationships changing also. At the start of the book, he is hostile towards his father and has quite a bit of resentment towards him. However, in contrast, nearing the end of the novel, Elie believes that his father is his everything. However, even closer to the end of the book, he gets told information that makes him almost change his mind about this. He was told, “Here, every man has to fight for himself and to think of anyone else. Even of his father.” (pg 115). This makes him question the relationship that he built up with his father over their time in the concentration camps. For a split second, he wonders if it really was a “dog eats dog world.” Then he came to the realization that it does not have to be that way. After all of this time in the camps, it makes him appreciate the relationships that he has built with his family and friends throughout his time.