Faith in graciousness is easily maintained in a world of peace, but when peace turns to war, faith can be disoriented. In the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel, the central idea of the struggle to maintain faith in a benevolent God is developed by the usage of symbolism throughout the novel. The holocaust caused the loss of faith in God for many victims, Elie struggled with his faith during his time in the camps. The hanging of the Pipel, cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners, and night, are examples of symbolism used to express Elie’s struggle with his faith.
Symbolism is used to show Elie’s loss of faith in a benevolent God, through the hanging of the Pipel. The Pipel was a young innocent child who was the assistant to a Kapo. The Pipel was
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The cruel and inhuman treatment of the prisoners symbolizes the death and violence of the holocaust. The use of symbolism helps further the central idea of Elie’s struggle to maintain faith in a benevolent God. In the camp Elie meets a man named Akiba Drumer. Akiba Drumer was a very religious rabi who preached to the prisoners. He represents the faith in God at the camp, his reasoning for the horrors they experience is God testing the Jewish people. While he is preaching, Elie thinks about his faith in God. Elie says, “I was not denying his existence, but I doubted his absolute justice” (45). Elie experiences violence and death almost immediately after being sent to the camps, he sees the darkest side of humanity while in the camps. His experiences with cruel and inhuman treatment cause him to question his faith. He does not question his faith in God, but he questions God’s benevolence. Elie’s faith dies more and more as he experiences more violence and death. He doesn’t believe God could let something this horrible happen to a whole race of people, especially in the twentieth century. The cruel and inhuman treatment of the prisoners symbolize the atrocities and horrors of the concentration camps, this example of symbolism makes Elie question his faith in a benevolent