Holocaust Survivors In Elie Wiesel's Night

History is told by the survivors. Throughout the past few decades, Holocaust survivors have emerged to tell their stories. In Night, Elie Wiesel shares the honest details of his life in the concentration camps. In his memoir, Wiesel does not hesitate to narrate every raw emotion he experienced. He recounts every question that is important to young Eliezer, specifically his doubts of a benevolent God. Eliezer’s relationship with God is complicated, and as the novel progresses, Eliezer’s impression of God changes immensely. In the beginning of the novel, it is clear that Eliezer is a devout Jew. His devotion to God is supported by his eagerness to study the Kabbalah. Despite his father’s disapproval, Eliezer “succeeded on [his] own in finding

He cannot comprehend the horrors that surround him, and his faith in God starts to falter. When everyone around him starts to pray, Eliezer faces an intense anger inside of him. He questions, “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?” (33). He starts to wonder what kind of God would allow such devastation to occur, and he vows, “Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God” (34). The concentration camps tarnish Eliezer’s belief in a compassionate God. As he spends more time in the camps, Eliezer admits that he has “ceased to pray” (45). Praying used to be a central part of his life, but the camps have made him dubious of God’s power. Time goes on and the Jewish year nears its end, yet the situation does not improve. At a solemn service, Eliezer continues to question why he should bless God. He admits that “every fiber in [him] rebelled,” (67). He allows his bitterness to take control and blames God for all the destruction caused by the Nazis. The Day of Atonement arrives, and Eliezer’s father does not allow him to fast. However, Eliezer decides to turn this into a “symbol of rebellion, of protest against Him” (69). He no longer accepts God’s silence, and he decides to no longer accept

He says, “I was not denying His existence, but I doubted His absolute justice” (45). Eliezer recognizes that this is not the God he is used to worshipping. He begins to distrust God’s judgement and questions God. Yet, this is what strengthens his faith and brings him closer to a God. When Eliezer first voices his skepticism at Birkenau, he still finds himself praying to God by whispering, “Yisgadal, veyiskadash, shmey raba … May His name be exalted and sanctified” (34). Although he already reveals his uncertainty in religion, when his new boots are covered in mud, Eliezer continues to thank God “in an improvised prayer, for having created mud in His infinite and wondrous universe” (38). Later in the novel, readers notice that Eliezer does not completely abandon praying. He admits, “in spite of myself, a prayer formed inside me, a prayer to this God in whom I no longer believed. ‘Oh God, Master of the Universe, give me the strength never to do what Rabbi Eliahu’s son has done’ ” (91). Eliezer still believes in God, but his whole perception of reality has changed. He recognizes that this is not the same God he used to worship. However, even in his darkest moments, his faith in God could not escape him. Through his haunting tale, Elie Wiesel unveils his tumultuous relationship with God. Wiesel unfolds every intimate detail of his spiritual journey while experiencing one of the