Previous
Mood
Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Father and Son:
Throughout Night, there is a recurring motif of Eliezer's guilt driven by the conflict between Eliezer’s love for his father and his desire to concede. In Chapter 3, the Roma inmate in charge strikes Chlomo in front of Eliezer:
I stood petrified. What had happened to me? My father had just been struck, in front of me, and I had not even blinked. I had watched and kept silent. Only yesterday, I would have dug my nails into this criminal’s flesh. Had I changed that much? So fast? Remorse began to gnaw at me.
In Chapter 6, on the journey from Buna to Buchenwald, Eliezer reconsiders letting himself die when he sees his father next to him:
My father’s presence was the only thing that stopped me. […] I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his sole support.
In Chapter 8, Eliezer feels shameful for momentarily wishing that his father were dead, a burden no longer:
Yet at the same time a thought crept into my mind: If only I didn’t find him! 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 … Instantly, I felt ashamed, ashamed of myself forever.
In Chapter 8, Chlomo finally dies from dysentery and beating injuries, but Eliezer does not cry:
His last word had been my name. He had called out to me and I had not answered.
I did not weep, and it pained me that I could not weep. But I was out of tears. And deep inside me, if I could have searched the recesses of my feeble conscience, I might have found something like: Free at last! …
Each of these passages demonstrates the memoir’s motif of guilt. As the book continues, Eliezer feels more and more burdened by his father, despite Chlomo being his only lifeline for humanity and love. There are some moments where Eliezer wants to abandon his will to live and give himself over to death—he refrains from doing so only to continue supporting his father. At other times, Eliezer chooses not to interfere in his father’s beatings to save himself, choices for which he feels immense shame. For Eliezer, sometimes concession means survival, but other times it means death. Both are desirable at different times, and both are hindered by Chlomo’s steady and loving presence.
Related Themes:
Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Father and Son:
Throughout Night, there is a recurring motif of Eliezer's guilt driven by the conflict between Eliezer’s love for his father and his desire to concede. In Chapter 3, the Roma inmate in charge strikes Chlomo in front of Eliezer:
I stood petrified. What had happened to me? My father had just been struck, in front of me, and I had not even blinked. I had watched and kept silent. Only yesterday, I would have dug my nails into this criminal’s flesh. Had I changed that much? So fast? Remorse began to gnaw at me.
In Chapter 6, on the journey from Buna to Buchenwald, Eliezer reconsiders letting himself die when he sees his father next to him:
My father’s presence was the only thing that stopped me. […] I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his sole support.
In Chapter 8, Eliezer feels shameful for momentarily wishing that his father were dead, a burden no longer:
Yet at the same time a thought crept into my mind: If only I didn’t find him! 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 … Instantly, I felt ashamed, ashamed of myself forever.
In Chapter 8, Chlomo finally dies from dysentery and beating injuries, but Eliezer does not cry:
His last word had been my name. He had called out to me and I had not answered.
I did not weep, and it pained me that I could not weep. But I was out of tears. And deep inside me, if I could have searched the recesses of my feeble conscience, I might have found something like: Free at last! …
Each of these passages demonstrates the memoir’s motif of guilt. As the book continues, Eliezer feels more and more burdened by his father, despite Chlomo being his only lifeline for humanity and love. There are some moments where Eliezer wants to abandon his will to live and give himself over to death—he refrains from doing so only to continue supporting his father. At other times, Eliezer chooses not to interfere in his father’s beatings to save himself, choices for which he feels immense shame. For Eliezer, sometimes concession means survival, but other times it means death. Both are desirable at different times, and both are hindered by Chlomo’s steady and loving presence.
Related Themes:
Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Father and Son:
Throughout Night, there is a recurring motif of Eliezer's guilt driven by the conflict between Eliezer’s love for his father and his desire to concede. In Chapter 3, the Roma inmate in charge strikes Chlomo in front of Eliezer:
I stood petrified. What had happened to me? My father had just been struck, in front of me, and I had not even blinked. I had watched and kept silent. Only yesterday, I would have dug my nails into this criminal’s flesh. Had I changed that much? So fast? Remorse began to gnaw at me.
In Chapter 6, on the journey from Buna to Buchenwald, Eliezer reconsiders letting himself die when he sees his father next to him:
My father’s presence was the only thing that stopped me. […] I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his sole support.
In Chapter 8, Eliezer feels shameful for momentarily wishing that his father were dead, a burden no longer:
Yet at the same time a thought crept into my mind: If only I didn’t find him! 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 … Instantly, I felt ashamed, ashamed of myself forever.
In Chapter 8, Chlomo finally dies from dysentery and beating injuries, but Eliezer does not cry:
His last word had been my name. He had called out to me and I had not answered.
I did not weep, and it pained me that I could not weep. But I was out of tears. And deep inside me, if I could have searched the recesses of my feeble conscience, I might have found something like: Free at last! …
Each of these passages demonstrates the memoir’s motif of guilt. As the book continues, Eliezer feels more and more burdened by his father, despite Chlomo being his only lifeline for humanity and love. There are some moments where Eliezer wants to abandon his will to live and give himself over to death—he refrains from doing so only to continue supporting his father. At other times, Eliezer chooses not to interfere in his father’s beatings to save himself, choices for which he feels immense shame. For Eliezer, sometimes concession means survival, but other times it means death. Both are desirable at different times, and both are hindered by Chlomo’s steady and loving presence.
Related Themes:
