Accountability In Elie Wiesel's Night

As a child, one is oftentimes told to put thought into one’s actions to avoid the predictable, unpleasant consequences of a hasty performance. During an individual’s youth, the value of accountability is tremendously emphasized by one’s parents and educators. Children are taught that they must be held responsible for their actions, and, as they age and grow into mature individuals, they take on accountability for others. Being responsible means having a duty or an obligation to diligently fulfill a certain task, and as an individual matures, his or her obligations begin to encompass not only the responsibility one has for oneself, but also social accountability. Nevertheless, when one is faced with demanding obstacles, one’s sense of obligation to others may become compromised. Throughout his memoir, Night, author Elie Wiesel chronicles the brutality and inhumanity of the Jewish concentration camps during the Holocaust and recounts their brutal toll on the ethical awareness of the Jewish people. The novel’s protagonist,

Although an individual may pursue a path of accountability and generosity at the commencement of his or her tribulations, Wiesel suggests that increasingly-challenging situations will encourage an individual to direct oneself onto a trail of self-protection and personal survival. As the vicious events of the memoir unfolded, the effect of the miserable conditions of the Holocaust is exemplified by numerous characters. Furthermore, the development and the disintegration of Eliezer’s relationship with his father demonstrates the colossal effect that brutal mistreatment has on individuals. Night adeptly and authentically illustrates the dangers of inhumanity and war and is a painful reminder of the consequences of destruction and depravity upon one’s