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Anthony Haynes
Mr. Gary Bigelow
English 10
04/13/15
The Onus and Obligation of Faith During the Long Night
Faith is a key catalyst in the evolution and perseverance of the human spirit, for faith is
something specific to man alone and is perhaps what embellishes the definition of humanity. It
enables man to continue despite trials, look beyond the horizon for something of a far greater
caliber than the immediate setting, release accountability or provide a figurehead to take fault for
worldly occurrences, while also lending an opportunity to find oneself. But even so, if that
implicit trust that is embodied by faith is betrayed then a wound unlike any other may be
inflicted and fester to a point of becoming a scourge. This much can be observed in the firsthand
Holocaust account, Night, by Elie Wiesel. In Elies experience the casting of faith fills the role of
an officiating power to hold someone or something accountable for the horrible events and it
carries the responsibility of finding something one could place their tacit trust into without fear
of betrayal, disappointment, or corruption. As for the meaning or contribution faith brings to the
work: faith waxes and wanes during the course of the Long Night, but the clandestine offering
that it finally produces is a means to discovering ones true and unabashed identity and how
strongly the conviction in ones beliefs can be in conjunction with how drastically they may
change.

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The unfortunate truth of life is that unfortunate things are bound to happen, whether it is
to our loved ones, ourselves, our friends, or an unknown name without a face who may only
register as a statistic; but regardless of who is at the receiving end, there is a strong conviction
between all societies that someone must be held responsible for such things. Upon Elies initial
arrival into Birkenau he was astounded that such terrible things were even possible let alone
permitted in such a day and age, so much so that he asked his father why the world had not
worked toward an immediate end to them: The world? The world is not interested in us. Today
everything is possible, even the crematoria (Wiesel 33). Wiesel is almost too nave for the
austerity of the setting in which he then found himself, but nonetheless he expresses an ingrained
part of human thought processes and feelings through these lines; his intention was to convey his
disbelief at the worlds lack of action. In the vein of accountability, those who have the power to
do something are expected to-whether it is a statement from the Catholic Church or Allied
military actions-and Wiesels disdain or disbelief has a direct causation with those authorities
shedding all of their expected responsibility as a civilized people. When Elie recounts his fervent
attitude towards Rosh Hashanah in years past he expresses how he himself was the one to bare
the weight of the world upon his shoulders, but as his eyes were subjected to Auschwitz haze he
in turn began to cast that weight upon God: But now I no longer pleaded for anything. I was no
longer able to lament. On the contrary, I felt very strong. I was the accuser, God the accused
( 68). In this sudden development, Wiesel displays his overwhelming rage as it froths over his
internal and emotional walls, resulting in the God he had once praised to be utterly perfect to
become reduced to the offender in question. In essence all that Wiesel was subjected to up until
that point in time before the camps was of his own doing and therefore he was responsible for the
consequences, which he understood. But when men burned other men to ash and no one but the

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Almighty appeared to have sufficient power to stop the atrocities, and yet still that Great and
Glorious God did not intervene, he was to be judged even more harshly; though he did not
execute them personally, Wiesel saw the blood of millions flowing between Gods fingers all the
same.
Humans are creatures of a social nature, they rely on one another for survival, comfort,
and companionship, and under the jurisdiction of companionship is the necessity for trust of an
unparalleled firmness in order to sustain a true bond, but men also turn to God to satisfy this
union and provide this distilled trust. During Elies time in the Auschwitz infirmary due to his
infected foot he encountered a man, and this man was disturbingly destitute in whom he placed
his faith in: I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all
his promises, to the Jewish people (81). When Wiesel recounts this experience he was enraged
yet it also brought to his attention something interesting in how the relationship of faith between
man and his object of conviction functioned: that in times of severe pain and suffering man may
place his trust not in who he believed would provide the convictions he desired but in someone
who would carry through with all that he had pledged. In essence, Wiesel is showing that trust
may stem from different sources and be inspired in order to fulfill different wishes specific to
each person, but that the derivations that such trust comes from may be affected by outside
influences and experiences. Elie also brings to light from memory his prayer to someone he had
once placed implicit trust in yet they had deceived him in a sense and that trust was damaged:
And 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 to never do what Rabbi
Eliahus son has done (91). Wiesel explained throughout the course of the book how his faith
had faltered with every passing moment of mutilation and pain, yet with this particular statement
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he exemplifies how a bond of such an ornate nature could not simply disappear; it proved that a
return of faith or the reinstatement of Wiesels trust in God, even if it proved only a sliver, was
possible due to how deeply the roots of such a relationship can be, despite how grievously they
may be marred.
Through the means of trials, difficulties, and lessons derived from failure and hardship it
is possible for a man or woman to realize who they are at the very depths of their core as a
person, without any artificiality or masks of a guarding disposition, and faith is one of the most
crucial tools in ascertaining this reality. Early in Elies life he met a man by the name of Moishe
the Beadle and in time Moishe acted as a spiritual teacher for Elie; during one of their many
conversations Moishe revealed a great insight into the purpose of faith and how it functions:
Man draws closer to God through the questions we ask him Man asks and God replies. But
we dont understand them. Because they dwell in the depths of our souls The real answers you
will only find within yourself (5). In this remark on Moishes behalf a portion of the purpose of
faith in and of itself is found; faith is of course used in accordance to worship a God. But Wiesel
also acknowledges that in contact with that God or Gods there comes a personal journey that
must be forded by the individual affected, and over the course of that internal journey answers to
both prayers may be found alongside revelations of who one is as a person. In the preface Wiesel
analyzes the purpose of his writing his account and its role in developing his understanding of
how the conscience of all men worked: Did I write it so as not to go mad, or on the contrary to
go mad in order to understand the nature of madness, the immense, terrifying madness that had
erupted in history and in the conscience of mankind (VII). This is a process of understanding
that resulted due to surpassing multiple obstacles, yet the role faith played in opening the road to
knowledge is that it gave him the willpower to carry on with the notion of writing the book. For
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as it were Wiesel had sworn to himself to never recount or speak of anything he experienced
during the Holocaust, yet ultimately faith convinced him to rescind, faith that he would make a
significant difference in awareness of the atrocities of the Holocaust if the book were written,
and his writing then gave him the opportunity to study the thought processes of mankind during
those times.
Faith is fervently rooted in human culture and the ideas that are constituted from it can be
extremely rigid or passionate, but even with the most resolute convictions choice events may
alter the certainty one may have at a mere moments notice. Originally Elie is an extremely
religious and faithful person, with the utmost belief in God and his benevolence, yet over the
course of his experiences that begins to waiver: As for me I ceased to pray. I concurred with
Job. I was not denying His existence, but I doubted His absolute justice (45). With these words
Wiesel demonstrates how even the mind of someone who initially could see life in no other light
may in time begin to reconsider and reevaluate many personal ideals. But a key piece of
information is the exact experiences that were endured that led to the devolvement of the
previous ideals. These occurrences can swing ones opinion in either direction, strengthening or
working towards abolishing the pre-established thought processes. In a moment of pure and
adamant anger the total transition of Elies stance of faith in God and his righteousness can be
observed: How could I say to Him: Blessed be Thou, Almighty, Master of the Universe, who
chose us among all nations to be tortured day and night Raised be Thy Holy Name, for having
chosen us to be slaughtered on Thine Altar (67). In this moment Wiesel uses his own life as an
example of how a deeply held conviction can be felt, become manipulated by choice events, and
then eventually transpire into something completely contradictory to the initial statement or

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belief. Wiesel was able to use his firsthand experience to explain and denature faith to its basic
parts and then show them in recurring themes in his novel.
Faith is an undeniable cornerstone in humanitys construction and has evolved as has
man, although in this influence and interconnectedness faith has several duties in which it serves,
both in general life, as well as in Elie Wiesels novel Night: faith is used to dictate responsibility
in society, for both happenings of a good and a bad nature, whether it be God to be held
accountable or the individual at Gods mercy; it may be used as a filter for trust of the most
refined and intimate level, where one can divulge everything inside their souls without fear of
any mishaps to result or to have such knowledge turned against them; the contribution of faith to
Night, however, is that it allows people to engage in self-discovery through to the heart; and
lastly it also exemplifies the constant struggle where views or principles are solidifying,
decaying, and then reforming into other things with experience.