In the memoir Night, written by Elie Wiesel, the protagonist struggles with his initial important values while going through times of despair, urging him to abandon these morals for his own individual good. It is immensely imperative that he does not give in. Elie’s experience as a victim in the Holocaust threatens his loyalty to his father, relationship with God, and compassion with others to weaken. The main character is consistently pressed to discard these things, once the most meaningful matters to him, in order for him to stay alive. For most people facing the same situation as Elie, their one and only ambition is self-preservation, causing all of their other initial, now irrelevant, morals to go out the window in order for them to protect …show more content…
The Holocaust is when the Jews really need that support from God, and they are simply not getting it. There is an instance in which an innocent child described as a “sad-faced angel” is hung in front of thousands of onlookers. The Lagerkapo reject the idea of executing this boy, causing the SS to perform this action, but even they are troubled with this act. The prisoners watching this event are shocked and disgusted that their God would even allow this to happen, this merciless death of a naive, wide-eyed child. When the spectators cry out asking where God is now, Elie thinks to himself: “He is hanging here on the gallows” (Wiesel 48). This signifies Elie’s low point with his faith for God. He is questioning God’s morality and even if He exists at all. Ultimately, there is no indication suggesting that Elie completely gives up on his belief in Judaism. In addition, there are hints throughout the rest of the memoir of Elie’s ongoing faith in God. Therefore, it is inferred that he realized God came through for him and the other victims. The memoir ends with a scene consisting of Elie looking at his reflection after he is released from Buchenwald, and even though he is significantly changed from the difficult and harrowing experience, it was the right decision to maintain his connection with