Determination and commitment are two major themes in Elie Wiesel's Night. At the beginning of the novel, Elie and his father, Chlomo, are separated from the rest of the family when they arrive at Auschwitz. Because they only have each other, survival means commitment to one another. Elie, loyal to his father, is determined to make sure both of them survive.
Yet as the novel progresses, Elie's commitment to his father wanes as Chlomo becomes feeble due to forced labor and the mental agony of losing his wife and youngest daughter. At one point Elie briefly wishes that his father would just die. For Elie, the primal determination to survive leads to this momentary betrayal of his father.
In summary, the way determination and commitment change throughout the novel is a prime example of how the Holocaust dehumanized its victims and stripped them of their humanity towards one another.
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