Throughout the entirety of humanity, faith plays a vital role in determining one’s identity and character. This is portrayed especially well throughout the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel, wherein Elie is constantly conflicted with the idea of a benevolent god. Within the memoir, faith is a consistent and recurring theme which drives the life and characterization of the author throughout the unbelievably inhumane events which are the Holocaust. These incredibly horrid incidences deeply change Elie, forcing him to question his own faith and well-being. As the piece progresses, Elie’s belief becomes shaped by the dehumanization of the Jews, the injustice that is imposed upon him and his family, and his own growing independence. Torn apart from his
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Night gives light to the fact that injustice happens everywhere, even within religion, as the following quote suggests, “Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled. Because He caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves? Because He kept six crematoria working day and night, including Sabbath and the Holy Days? Because in His great might, He had created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, and so many other factories of death?” (67). Although Elie never declares himself as an atheist, this quote shows that his image of a benevolent god begins to die. The injustice throughout the memoir is evidently not only carried out by the Nazis, but by his own god as well. For this reason, Elie relinquishes the idea that his god is benign, also portrayed by the following, “Behind me, I heard the same man asking: ‘For God’s sake, where is God?’ And from within me, I heard a voice answer: ‘Where He is? This is where—hanging here from this gallows …’” (65). Beyond injustice, this quote effectively portrays Elie’s god ignoring the child who was being hanged, while in Elie’s mind, metaphorically perishing. To a Jew, God represents hope, justice, and well-being, but because of the tragic events shown, these attributes are proven to Elie to be fictional. In this quote, and more generally, throughout the memoir, horrendous conditions and the injustice caused by …show more content…
As he moves further away from the reliance he has on his family, he moves further away from the ideals ingrained within him as a child. This is shown by the following, “‘Mother is still a young woman,’ my father once said. ‘She must be in a labor camp. And Tzipora, she is a big girl now. She too must be in a camp …’ How we would have liked to believe that. We pretended, for what if one of us still did believe?” (46). This evidence can clearly be attributed to the fact that Elie and his father have lost hope in the unity of their family. This quote has a clear connection between the questions Elie asks about the relationship between himself and his belief, as the uncertainty and hopelessness represented in his spiritual conflict are strikingly similar to the broken connection between him and his lost relatives. This shows Elie’s forced independence from his family and faith, which can be seen happening to Jews other than Elie, as he
Night gives light to the fact that injustice happens everywhere, even within religion, as the following quote suggests, “Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled. Because He caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves? Because He kept six crematoria working day and night, including Sabbath and the Holy Days? Because in His great might, He had created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, and so many other factories of death?” (67). Although Elie never declares himself as an atheist, this quote shows that his image of a benevolent god begins to die. The injustice throughout the memoir is evidently not only carried out by the Nazis, but by his own god as well. For this reason, Elie relinquishes the idea that his god is benign, also portrayed by the following, “Behind me, I heard the same man asking: ‘For God’s sake, where is God?’ And from within me, I heard a voice answer: ‘Where He is? This is where—hanging here from this gallows …’” (65). Beyond injustice, this quote effectively portrays Elie’s god ignoring the child who was being hanged, while in Elie’s mind, metaphorically perishing. To a Jew, God represents hope, justice, and well-being, but because of the tragic events shown, these attributes are proven to Elie to be fictional. In this quote, and more generally, throughout the memoir, horrendous conditions and the injustice caused by …show more content…
As he moves further away from the reliance he has on his family, he moves further away from the ideals ingrained within him as a child. This is shown by the following, “‘Mother is still a young woman,’ my father once said. ‘She must be in a labor camp. And Tzipora, she is a big girl now. She too must be in a camp …’ How we would have liked to believe that. We pretended, for what if one of us still did believe?” (46). This evidence can clearly be attributed to the fact that Elie and his father have lost hope in the unity of their family. This quote has a clear connection between the questions Elie asks about the relationship between himself and his belief, as the uncertainty and hopelessness represented in his spiritual conflict are strikingly similar to the broken connection between him and his lost relatives. This shows Elie’s forced independence from his family and faith, which can be seen happening to Jews other than Elie, as he