Ryan Borth

Ms. Price

English II

The Changing of Relationships SPES

Relationships between people can change dramatically for the better or the worst during a

hardship, Elie and his father had their relationship has grown stronger. Elie and his father have

had to beat the odds and survive inside multiple concentration camps, because of this they need

each other to survive both for motivation and for a helping hand. Elie and the relationship with

his father had grown so much they could understand one another at times without speaking. In

chapter six it states “Whose was it? Mine? His? I said nothing. Nor did he. Never before had we

understood each other so clearly” (Wiesel 69). Because of their past experiences Elie and his

dad had such a bond that could only be broken by death. Elie and the relationship with his father

had also been to help one another survive by giving one another ration when possible, this kept

one another growing. An example of this is when both father and son had survived selection and

Elie was given an extra ration of bread by his dad, it states “My father had a present for me: a

half ration of bread, bartered for something he had found at the depot, a piece of rubber that

could be used to repair a shoe” (Wiesel 73). This just goes to show that Elie and his father would

sacrifice their belongings to help one another, like the piece of rubber. The father-son bond Elie

and his dad once had, changed when hardship struck them, being the Holocaust. But because of

their new, strengthened bond, they were able to persevere and survive through many death camps

defying the odds