Eliezer, the protagonist who is based on Wiesel himself, faces many struggles throughout Night. The most obvious struggle is external: the need to survive. However, the struggle that is first set up by Wiesel is a spiritual one (internal). As events progress, gradually leading Eliezer from uncomfortable situations to perilous ones, the spiritual struggle does not motivate or hinder Eliezer's physical response to his external obstacles. Each situation is physically immediate, requiring abrupt decisions that will determine whether Eliezer survives.
Eliezer's primary motive is to survive, a universal human instinct. His secondary motive is to stay with his father. Both goals are difficult to achieve and it might be argued that Eliezer's secondary motive may either hinder or support the accomplishment of his primary motive. Eliezer's spiritual struggles take on an overlying, background theme throughout the novel rather than dictating Eliezer's response to physical situations.
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