Diminishing Jewish Faith In Elie Wiesel's Night

Wiesel’s Diminishing Jewish Faith Throughout Night

In Elie Wiesel's Night, Wiesel describes his and his father's experiences in the concentration camps and how this affected his relationship with God. Wiesel explainses the psychological degradation that the situation had on him. Not only was he abused, but he was also worried that he would be the next one to go. Before the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel was a 15-year-old boy who lived with his mother, father, and sister. He worshiped God every day. Wiesel talked many times about how his relationship with God had altered over the few years in the camp. As well as Wiesel, many other men asked the same questions and were angry with God. Wiesel's experiences during the Holocaust impacted his identity with

Wiesel believed God could always help him if he stood strong in his faith. When Wiesel is met with disaster, he calls upon God and expected his help and protection. Wiesel admitted that he cried when he prayed when asked why he responded, ¨I don't know¨(Wiesel 4). By this question he was troubled, he didn't know why he cried when he prayed. This shows him crying to God for something to happen or not. Wiesel was asked why he prayed which he responded with, ¨Why did I pray?... Why did I live? Why did I breathe?¨(Wiesel 4). This reveals how much he believes that God is the way to live and the reason there is such a thing as life. Wiesel's faith before the Holocaust is very strong and important to him to have a part of his

In the camps, Wiesel amongst the other prisoners would get beaten, struck by whips, shot, and much more. When Wiesel and his father believed they were going to the crematorium his father began to pray. As Wiesel heard him he thought, ¨For the first time, I felt anger rising within me. Why should I sanctify His name? The almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank him for?¨(Wiesel 33). Wiesel is expressing this because of the betrayal he feels from God and the anger he feels that his father still is loyal to God even after he didn't do anything to help them. During a solemn service, Wiesel watched the other men say the prayer, and he began to think, ¨Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled… He caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves… He kept 6 crematoriums working day and night, including on Sabbath and the Holy Days… He created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, and so many other factories of death?¨(Wiesel 67). Wiesel is angry because listening to the men around him still glorify God, the one who had done nothing to help them escape from their suffering, was unfair and he thinks God is undeserving of praise. The Holocaust caused Wiesel's identity to change as he begins to lose faith in