Can you imagine life without your most important morals? Well, Elie Wiesel can, and the “journey” throughout his novel, Night, that led to his decline in beliefs was not so pleasant. As he experiences dehumanization, and as his identity alters, Wiesel reminds us that if you are not careful, your morals and core beliefs can be re-defined completely as a result of traumatizing struggles.
To start, Elie’s most important moral was his religion. At the start of the book, Elie hasn’t experienced any dehumanization. Elie explains that his faith is his life, when he says, “Why did I pray? Strange question. Why did I live? Why did I breathe?” (4). This quote implies that Elie is confused as to why someone would ask him such an absurd question. Furthermore, …show more content…
By the end of the book, Elie has seen and felt so much, that nothing phases him anymore. He has completely given up on hoping, because he has given up on God. For example, Elie states that at the concentration camp, his life is regulated by a bell. He wishes for a universe without the bell, and says “The bell regulated everything. It gave me orders and I executed them blindly. I hated that bell.” (73) In the quote, we can clearly see how the Jews are being treated as if they are animals. Later on in the novel, Elie’s father passes away. Due to all the dehumanization from the SS - including being bossed around by the bell-Elie not only does not, but he physically cannot weep. “No prayers were said over his tomb….I did not weep, and it pained me that I could not weep.” Here we can infer that Elie wanted to weep, since it pained him. However, he physically cannot cry, because he is so scarred and has adjusted to his “new” life without God. Not only does he not weep, but he does not pray either. The Kaddish is not recited, because Elie does not want anything to do with his faith anymore.
Ultimately, Elie Wiesel is a changed man. The brutal dehumanization that he experienced throughout Night, allowed for a complete shift in one of Elies most important aspects of life. Now picture yourself as Elie Wiesel in the Holocaust. Wouldn’t you be a changed person
To start, Elie’s most important moral was his religion. At the start of the book, Elie hasn’t experienced any dehumanization. Elie explains that his faith is his life, when he says, “Why did I pray? Strange question. Why did I live? Why did I breathe?” (4). This quote implies that Elie is confused as to why someone would ask him such an absurd question. Furthermore, …show more content…
By the end of the book, Elie has seen and felt so much, that nothing phases him anymore. He has completely given up on hoping, because he has given up on God. For example, Elie states that at the concentration camp, his life is regulated by a bell. He wishes for a universe without the bell, and says “The bell regulated everything. It gave me orders and I executed them blindly. I hated that bell.” (73) In the quote, we can clearly see how the Jews are being treated as if they are animals. Later on in the novel, Elie’s father passes away. Due to all the dehumanization from the SS - including being bossed around by the bell-Elie not only does not, but he physically cannot weep. “No prayers were said over his tomb….I did not weep, and it pained me that I could not weep.” Here we can infer that Elie wanted to weep, since it pained him. However, he physically cannot cry, because he is so scarred and has adjusted to his “new” life without God. Not only does he not weep, but he does not pray either. The Kaddish is not recited, because Elie does not want anything to do with his faith anymore.
Ultimately, Elie Wiesel is a changed man. The brutal dehumanization that he experienced throughout Night, allowed for a complete shift in one of Elies most important aspects of life. Now picture yourself as Elie Wiesel in the Holocaust. Wouldn’t you be a changed person