In an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Wiesel states I was the wrong person to survive the holocaust if I survived this place it was because my...

href="">Elie
Wiesels book href="">Night
chronicles the horrors he endured in the Nazi death camps. Elie was with his father for much of
the time in the camps. In telling Oprah that he survived because he wanted his father to
survive, it seems that Elies father kept Elie going even when he wanted to quit and die. First,
Elies father protected his son whenever it was possible. Moreover, knowing that if he died, his
father would give up too also kept Elie going.

There are instances in the
book that make it clear that the fathers actions contribute to Elie's ability to survive the
camps. For instance, when another prisoner strikes Wiesels father, Elie writes:

All I could think was: I shall never forgive them for this. My
father must have guessed my thoughts, because he whispered in my ear: "It doesn't
hurt." His cheek still bore the red mark of the hand.

The father does not want to scare Elie and so he tells him that his cheek does not hurt
even though it is clear that the blow was hard. On other occasions when Elie wants to rest, his
father intercedes and rallies all of his strength to help his son:

My father shook me. "Not here€¦Get up €¦ A little farther down. He also tells
Elie, "Don't let yourself be overcome by sleep, Eliezer. It's dangerous to fall asleep in
snow. One falls asleep forever. Come, my son, come€¦Get up."€¦I got up, with clenched
teeth. Holding on to me with one arm, he led me outside. It was not easy.

Elies father also gives his son his food and other items to help
him maintain his strength. In another instance, Elie, his father and others are being crushed
together and gasping for air. As soon as he can speak, Elie calls out for his father, fearing
that he might have died, "Father, are you there?"

Moreover, despite
all the horrors they have endured, Elie wants to live. He writes:

I tried to rid myself of my invisible assassin. My whole desire to live became
concentrated in my nails. I scratched, I fought for a breath of air ... I prevailed. I succeeded
in digging a hole in that wall of dead and dying people, a small hole through which I could
drink a little air.

Staying alive to help keep his father
going was likely a catalyst for Elies survival. The negative aspect of this is that once his
father dies, Elie might give up, as well. When the father is too sick to continue and has given
up hope, he gives Elie the few belongings he has:

"Here, take this knife," he said. "I won't need it anymore. You may find
it useful. Also take this spoon. Don't sell it. Quickly! Go ahead, take what I'm giving
you!"

Perhaps spurred by that plea or commandment
from his father, Elie did survive.