Faith in a Broken World The Holocaust has long been known as one of the worst events in human history, and it has left its mark, permanently lasting for millennia more. Although the generation of today will never be able to witness it firsthand, survivors of this catastrophe have chosen to write their personal experiences out for the world to see. One of these survivors is Elie Wiesel, who accomplished this through a memoir entitled Night. He provides insight into the Holocaust and what life was like as a prisoner there, sharing his story as a witness. Elie Wiesel testifies to his individual loss of faith through the use of several language devices. With the initiation of his journey, the aid of diction helps reveal that Wiesel’s strong devotion …show more content…
The usage of a metaphor, one where the individual is compared to ashes, is used to reveal how Wiesel feels after finally accepting his dissolved faith. He is not only partially so; in fact, it is phrased to reveal that he is nothing but ashes, which testifies to the effect of this loss and the loss of God by his side. The soul that originally depended on faith and religion had been burned to ashes by the fires of death and hatred, another metaphor that stays consistent throughout the story. The continuously diminishing faith of Wiesel’s is a result of the environment, as shown most clearly through the application of imagery. Further on in the memoir, Wiesel can no longer find a reason to care about faith, which is displayed through his use of detail and imagery. Upon unloading the Jews from the train, Elie and his father arrive in Buchenwald, where the prisoners are sent to take hot showers. These people crowd the area and desperately try to reach their destination, a contrast to Shlomo, who gives up and accepts his fate because he has “become childlike: weak, frightened, vulnerable”