Internal Conflict Of Faith In Night By Elie Wiesel

Throughout the novel “Night” by Elie Weisel, there is a constant internal conflict that Elie has. It is an internal conflict of faith. Elie reacted as he did because of the events he suffered. Seeing children burned alive and the loss of family members. At times it seems that he has lost all faith completely but he still struggles with faith throughout the book. His faith in god was close to extinction but he and his faith returns. This can be seen as a major factor in his survival. Some people, through hardships like Elie’s, gain faith or lose faith. What factors can contribute to their mentality? As this essay progresses a few factors will be explored and expanded to help gain a better understanding of Elie’s mentality during the devastation caused by these events. As Elie deteriorated physically he also deteriorated mentally, losing faith in himself. During his time in the concentration camps, he experienced so much death and tragedy that he …show more content…
Mental suffering is brought about by fear of the unknown. This is demonstrated in “Night” when Elie and his family are being transported on the train cars from the ghetto. As this is happening their minds are running wild and they are scared. When Mrs. Schachter began to scream about the fire they were very scared, “We tried to reason with her, more to calm ourselves, to catch our breath, than to soothe her… But it was all in vain. Our terror could no longer be contained” (Wiesel 25). Physical suffering is brought by pain, overworking in the case of the jews, but in other ways it can be brought about by something such as a sickness like cancer. The sick are affected physically and mentally while the family and friends are affected only mentally which can lead to physical. This is all tied together and creates a vicious cycle that only ends for the dead. The suffering endured by people is not different from the suffering of