Comparing Wiesel, Maus, And Slaughterhouse-Five
According to Kurt Vonnegut, “...there would always be wars... they were as easy to stop as glaciers” (Vonnegut 3). And from these wars come the stories of those who struggled through them. Night by Elie Wiesel, Maus by Art Spiegelman, and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut all show how the choices people make when they are in danger are generally selfish, attempting to save their own lives and rarely aiding anyone else. People are selfish by nature and will only look out for their own interests, although they are capable of caring for those around them, but will betray even those they love if they benefit from it.
When people find themselves in life-threatening situations, they will try their best to ensure their own safety, even at the expense …show more content…
In Slaughterhouse-Five, the two scouts did not hesitate to ditch Roland Weary once it was clear that Billy Pilgrim would slow them down. As evidenced by Weary’s Three Musketeers mindset, their little group worked together as a team and were more than simply strangers. Even though the scouts were aware that Weary would probably not survive with his limited resources and the additional burden of Billy, but were entirely fine with that as long as they were safe. Additionally, there were multiple instances of sons betraying their fathers towards the end of their imprisonment in Night. Elie became resentful about having to support his father, continuing to share his food with him, but only bitterly. In the morning, Elie discovers that his father has died, and his only thought was “Free at last!” (112). Rabbi Eliahu’s son notices that he is falling behind in the forced march, but does not slow down with him. The most dramatic example is when a child kills his own father over a piece of bread on the train. The man pleads for his son to stop, saying that he has enough for both of them to share, but he is killed nonetheless. These are three examples of children betraying their own fathers in a desire to survive, fathers that they had protected and loved, until the desire for survival outweighed their connection and affection. To survive, people will turn on even those they are closest to if it will benefit
When people find themselves in life-threatening situations, they will try their best to ensure their own safety, even at the expense …show more content…
In Slaughterhouse-Five, the two scouts did not hesitate to ditch Roland Weary once it was clear that Billy Pilgrim would slow them down. As evidenced by Weary’s Three Musketeers mindset, their little group worked together as a team and were more than simply strangers. Even though the scouts were aware that Weary would probably not survive with his limited resources and the additional burden of Billy, but were entirely fine with that as long as they were safe. Additionally, there were multiple instances of sons betraying their fathers towards the end of their imprisonment in Night. Elie became resentful about having to support his father, continuing to share his food with him, but only bitterly. In the morning, Elie discovers that his father has died, and his only thought was “Free at last!” (112). Rabbi Eliahu’s son notices that he is falling behind in the forced march, but does not slow down with him. The most dramatic example is when a child kills his own father over a piece of bread on the train. The man pleads for his son to stop, saying that he has enough for both of them to share, but he is killed nonetheless. These are three examples of children betraying their own fathers in a desire to survive, fathers that they had protected and loved, until the desire for survival outweighed their connection and affection. To survive, people will turn on even those they are closest to if it will benefit