Night By Elie Wiesel Night Analysis

Words: 665
Pages: 3

In times of dire need and pain, a vast majority of people turn to hope and faith to guide them to safety. Numerous people, such as the Jewish, turn to their faith and belief in God in an effort to cope with suffering. When this faith is ripped away, as in the case of the Sighet Jews, attitudes towards this coping mechanism, and beliefs towards this entity are radically altered. In the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel, Elie’s faith and trust in God slowly deteriorates due to the inhumane treatment he faces Auschwitz, demonstrating the uselessness of faith in survival. With the alteration of attitude and shaking of faith due to the atrocities committed at Auschwitz, Elie demonstrates his separation from God, and onto his instincts for survival. At …show more content…
Elie’s loss of faith in his God culminates in Night, where Elie comes to terms with reality. While talking to himself, Elie retorts that “[he shall never] forget the moments which murdered [Elie’s] God, [Elie’s] soul and turned [his] dreams to dust” (32). Elie, although he still refers to God as ‘his’, knows that his God has been murdered along with his soul and spirit. This detachment through the ‘murdering’ of his god demonstrates his change in attitude towards divinity within Elie. Nearing the conclusion of Night, Elie comes to term with his situation, stating that "[he] did not weep, and it pained [him] that [he] could not weep... in the depths of [his] being [he] might perhaps [be free at last]" (106). When Elie comes to terms with the harsh reality of his situation, he realizes that survival comes before all. Elie’s father and religion were taken from him, leaving him cold to the world and disconnected from reality. Elie is unable to weep for his lost hope because he is dehumanized with the banning of his faith, living only to survive. This liberation from faith is what causes Elie to live to survive, realizing that attachment means death for the denizens of Auschwitz.
Elie’s loss of faith, as well as his change in attitude towards religion in the memoir Night, is portrayed by the questioning of God’s authority and benevolence, demonstrating