Garden of Eden

In his memoir Night, Elie Wiesel recounts the horror of witnessing his own father physically disintegrate after they together have endured so many months of suffering in Nazi death camps. During the last days of his father's life in a death camp, Elie desperately tries to comfort his father by telling him that "this was not the end, that we would go back to the house together" (102). Elie tells his father that little white lie, …

…He tells her, "…you are crazy" (223), but Catherine can no longer be helped. David has enabled Catherine into irrationality. By the time he musters enough will and strength to condemn the "devil," she is hopelessly lost. By confronting Catherine, David only makes matters worse because in leaving she is left unhappy, whereas Linda's respectful silence enables Willy to leave the world in ignorant bliss. Linda's enabling lie brings some happiness; and David's lie brings none.