The decisions people make often have a significant impact on their lives. Think of the decisions Elie Wiesel was forced to make in Night. Discuss at...

We
constantly make decisions in life, from what to wear in the morning to what career to pursue.
Wiesel makes choices throughout his life, and so it is interesting to look at the impact these
choices had on him, even if at the time they seemed to be small decisions.

For example, in chapter 1, Wiesel tells us that he chooses to find a teacher for
himself. His father says he is too young to study the Kabbala, but Wiesel chooses to study with
Moshe. This leads to a relationship with Moshe, who then tries to warn them of what is happening
to the Jews. How do you think these early religious studies impacted Wiesel's
identity?

When they arrive at the concentration camp, Wiesel says he is
eighteen and a farmer. He is forced to make this decision, and perhaps it saves his life. If he
had been honest and said he was fourteen, perhaps he would have been deemed too young to work,
and he would have been sent to his death. It's easy to see how this decision impacted his life
(by saving it), but how did it impact his identity and innocence? By being forced to lie in
order to save his own life, some of his innocence is taken away.

In chapter
5, Wiesel is in the medical section with an injured foot. He learns the Russian army is
approaching and the camp will be evacuated. Wiesel and his father choose to evacuate, fearing
that the patients will be executed before the Russians arrive. It is not until later in life
that Wiesel learns the patients were liberated two days following the evacuation. Had Wiesel and
his father stayed, they could have been saved then.

I think it would also be
interesting to examine when Wiesel chooses to pray or not. He chooses not to fast during Yom
Kippur and abandons his faith at many times but also prays that he will not abandon his father.
These decisions are an examination of identity and innocence.

We can also
track Wiesel's choices surrounding his father. We see many sons abandon their sickly fathers or
beat their fathers for food. Wiesel chooses to stay with his father, although there are many
times when he could have chosen the opposite.