Rosenberg 1

Jonah Rosenberg
Mr. Bigelow
English 10
13 April 2015
The Real Faith Throughout
Faith, religion and beleifes are as present in todays society as it was thousands
of years ago. Many people believe in a higher power, thats why the bible is the most
published book of all time. Billions of people worldwide belong to a certain religion, faith,
or culture. In the autobiographical tale Night by Elie Wiesel, Elie belongs to a religion
with less than 14 million, Judaism. In this story Elie recalls his experience as a prisoner
in a concentration camp, and his Faith in g-d throughout. Elies faith in g-d and himself
is questioned in the book. His faith shows hope, ambition and loyalty. Through Elies
loss of faith, he shows himself the reality and it propels him to be stronger. Weisel uses
this faith as the degradation of spirit and a change in his life to a more survival minded
person.
Elie says that he begins with of faith in g-d, but he is confused at the same time
with his faith. Elie starts out as a Hasidic boy who wants to study the Kabbalah, but he
doesnt know why he prays. When Moishe the Beadle asked why he prayed, Elie could
only answer one thing: I dont know, I told him even more troubled and ill at ease. I
dont know (4). Through this Weisel gives the reader the sense that early in the book
Elie is at war with his faith. Elie doesnt even know why he prays and later in the book
Elie shows this by losing his faith. Elie becomes rebellious against g-d while in the
camps: I no longer accepted gods silence. As I swallowed my ration of soup, I turned

Rosenberg 2

that act into a symbol of rebellion, of protest against him (69). Weisel shows that Elie is
becoming more survival minded person, who would rather nourish himself rather than
be true on to g-d. While the others are praising god Elie feels that why should he praise
god, Elie feels that god deserted them.
Faith is also explored as a way of showing hope and promise. Many people in
the book who lose faith in what they believe in end up being harmed. Elies own father
embodies this idea. Elie and his father are being transformed to another camp when old
Meir Katz groaned: Sholmo, I am getting weak. I wont make it(102). Elies Father
reassures him: Dont give in!, You must resist! Dont lose faith in yourself!(102). Weisel
shows here that even if Elie and his father didnt have faith in g-d they had faith in
themselves. Elies father, Sholmo, helps this man by giving him hope and a faith in
himself. However, Elies fathers faith, body, and will to live rapidly deteriorate: I cant
anymoreits over I shall die right hereLeave me(105). Weisel shows through this
that people can lose faith quickly, he foreshadows earlier that Sholmo is losing faith,
when he talks about Meir Katz. Elies father transitions from a provider of hope and faith
to someone about to give up.
Elie Weisel uses the idea of faith in his memoir from his experience during the
holocaust to show that faith in something or someone gave the idea of something to
come. Weather it is in g-d, like many of the imprisoned Jews, and that god would
liberate them. Or in ones self, like in Elies case, where it is up to him to survive. Faith is
there to propel. When faith begins to fade, ones will to thrive fades as well. If it werent
for Elies strong faith, he might not have survived.4