Innocence In Elie Wiesel's Night

When the shell built by childhood and innocence becomes removed, it’s as if for the first time an individual can truly see the limitless boundaries of the horizon. For Elie Wiesel in his work, Night, his boundaries lied at the edge of his hometown of Sighet. At age 16, Elie wanted to expand his horizons by strengthening his relationship with God, and although his father was against Elie taking up spirituality, he went and found himself a tutor in Moishe the Beedle. Months into their lessons, the Gestapo abducted Moishe. Managing to get away, Moishe planned to teach Elie one last lesson of the danger that lied ahead. None of the village, including Elie, paid no heed to his warning. That mistake would send Elie on a journey of turmoil and darkness …show more content…
The end of the year is a time for reflection and forgiveness, but not for Elie Wiesel. In fact, he wonders if the last day of the year could be his ‘last day’. Elie exclaims,”Blessed be the God’s name? Why, but Why would I bless Him?...Because He caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves? Because He kept the crematoriums working day and night, even during Sabbath and the Holy Days?...Praised be Thy Holy Name, for having chosen us to be slaughtered on Thine altar?”(67). Elie simply sees that such an unjust God doesn’t deserve his blessing or even recognition. Elie even calls himself the accuser of God and feels strong about no longer having to relying on faith. Having survived the end of the year, the accuser of God recalls the beginning of the new year when he stated,”Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement. Should we fast?...I did not fast...I no longer accepted God’s silence. As I swallowed my ration of soup, I turned that act into a symbol of rebellion, of protest against Him.”(69). Elie decides to live because to live and to eat is to defy the will of an unjust God that would cause so much death. For that reason, he does not pray for forgiveness and instead turns against his faith. Upon his questioning of God, Elie comes to realize that God is not his ally and devotes to defying Him, but in the process of betraying God, he may betray …show more content…
No prisoners asked the same guiding questions as Elie, so they all had different journeys of faith, which shows how the Elie’s inquiries of his faith led him to not only survival but life changing realizations about the true questions in life. While becoming a prisoner did damage Elie’s faith and his belief in himself, it also made him realize what truly gave him the strength to ask the real questions. These questions don’t always have answers and are often answered with silence; throughout his journey, Ellie finds the real questions lie within not mystery but in indisputable