A holocaust is defined as a destruction or slaughter on a mass scale; however, simply defining the term doesn’t begin to help us understand the absolute terror that was experienced by approximately 6 million Jewish victims. From 1933 to 1945, innocent Jews were forced into concentration camps in which they had to endure back-breaking labor for even the slimmest chance at life. One of the few survivors, Elie Wiesel, lived to tell the unimaginably horrific story of his life in the concentration camps. In order to survive the horrendous conditions in the camps Wiesel was forced to change in many ways. He became skeptical on the perspective of religion causing him to no longer trust others, therefore he became self-sufficient, entering the camps at a young age he was forced into maturity, and most importantly his loyalty to his father kept him going even in the times when death seemed like the best and only answer. As the story begins, Eliezer (Wiesel) is dedicated to practicing his religion and devoted himself to studying the Talmud and the Kabbalah; these religions became a major part of his life.
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However, when they were forced to endure the concentration camps he witnessed many injustices such as, infants being thrown in the crematory, causing him be skeptical of his God and question if he were real. He wondered why God would willingly let this happen to his people, “Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust” (Wiesel 34). By losing faith, he doesn’t trust other people and becomes self-sufficient. He doesn’t spend time praying like the other men and started to see that if he wants to survive he can’t put his faith in something that may or may not exist. When Wiesel lived in Sighet he was very naïve to everything that was happening outside his town. The towns’ people didn’t think the concentration camps existed and weren’t very concerned about the Holocaust happening around them. When the Hungarian Police forced them out of their homes and town, Eliezer realized that the talk of the horrendous places may actually be true. Upon arriving at the first camp, Eliezer comes to the conclusion that in order to make it through the grueling labor and keep himself and his father alive, he would inevitably have to mature. Over time, this causes him to start seeing that the world wasn’t always fair which showed immense signs of maturity, helping him to realize the drastic measures it would take to survive and overcome the horrors of his experience, "The night was gone. The morning star was shining in the sky. I too had become a completely different person. The student of the Talmud, the child that I was, had been consumed in the flames” (Wiesel 37). After arriving at the first camp, Auschwitz, Eliezer is forced to go with his father while the rest of his family goes to the crematory. Realizing that his father was the only family he had left, he is determined not to become separated. Wiesel, at this point, would do anything to keep his father alive, and eventually his father’s life started to seem more important than his own. After visiting the first two camps and on the way to the third, he is dependent on his father to live,
However, when they were forced to endure the concentration camps he witnessed many injustices such as, infants being thrown in the crematory, causing him be skeptical of his God and question if he were real. He wondered why God would willingly let this happen to his people, “Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust” (Wiesel 34). By losing faith, he doesn’t trust other people and becomes self-sufficient. He doesn’t spend time praying like the other men and started to see that if he wants to survive he can’t put his faith in something that may or may not exist. When Wiesel lived in Sighet he was very naïve to everything that was happening outside his town. The towns’ people didn’t think the concentration camps existed and weren’t very concerned about the Holocaust happening around them. When the Hungarian Police forced them out of their homes and town, Eliezer realized that the talk of the horrendous places may actually be true. Upon arriving at the first camp, Eliezer comes to the conclusion that in order to make it through the grueling labor and keep himself and his father alive, he would inevitably have to mature. Over time, this causes him to start seeing that the world wasn’t always fair which showed immense signs of maturity, helping him to realize the drastic measures it would take to survive and overcome the horrors of his experience, "The night was gone. The morning star was shining in the sky. I too had become a completely different person. The student of the Talmud, the child that I was, had been consumed in the flames” (Wiesel 37). After arriving at the first camp, Auschwitz, Eliezer is forced to go with his father while the rest of his family goes to the crematory. Realizing that his father was the only family he had left, he is determined not to become separated. Wiesel, at this point, would do anything to keep his father alive, and eventually his father’s life started to seem more important than his own. After visiting the first two camps and on the way to the third, he is dependent on his father to live,