Macy Bell

Mrs. Crowell

Advanced Composition

10 May 2017

Losing Faith in Man and God

Elie Wiesels terrifyingly true memories of the Holocaust are the platform for his Memoir

titled Night. Wiesel received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America

Congressional Gold Medal, and the French Legion of Honor for his writings; upon receiving a

Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, he was given the title messenger of mankind. Wiesels desire to

grow in his faith is strong during his childhood, although as he grows older he is forced to endure

the cruelty of the Holocaust, which results in his loss of faith in man and the higher authority.

At age thirteen, Wiesels faith is stronger than most adults: By day I studied Talmud and

by night I would run to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the temple (3). His goal is

to grow in his faith and by doing so, he finds his own master: [My father] wanted to drive the

idea of studying Kabbalah from my mind. In vain. I succeeded on my own in finding a master for

myself in the person of Moshie the Beadle (4). His father does not think he is ready to study

Kabbalah; it is not typically studied until age forty. Kabbalah is the study of Jewish Mysticism

which involves seeking and asking questions relating to the nature of God.

Shortly after, Wiesel is taken from his home along with other Jews and transported to

Nazi Camp where he is being forced to do hard labor, against their will, alongside his father. I

looked at my house in which I had spent years seeking my God, fasting to hasten the coming of

the Messiah, imagining what my life would be like later. Yet I felt little sadness. My mind was

empty (55). After transitioning from multiple Nazi camps and witnessing the deaths of many
men and young boys, Elies life is altered forever. His main concern is to why God is allowing

these innocent men to suffer in such a way. Many Jewish people feel like the God they are so

loyal to is slowly abandoning them. Wiesels strong faith is shaken due to his overwhelming

circumstances: Some of the men spoke of God: His mysterious ways, the sins of the Jewish

people, and the redemption to come. As for me, I had ceased to pray. I concurred with Job! I was

not denying His existence, but I doubted His absolute justice (45). Wiesel has gotten to a point

where he feels like his situation is not fair and he ultimately blames this on God because that is

who he has put all his trust in.

In the Nazi camps Wiesel experiences the loss of many friends and family, but one stands

out to him: Behind me, I heard the same man asking: For Gods sake, where is God? and from

within me, I heard a voice answer: Where He is? This is where-hanging here from these

gallows (65). A young boy is hanged when he is caught with weapons hidden within his block.

Although he is hanged, he does not die immediately. He is hanging for some time before he dies

and in the crowd, you hear a man shout: Where is merciful God, where is He? (64). Wiesel is

not only losing his faith, but so are the other men. 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,

to watch as our fathers, our mothers, our brothers end up in the furnaces? Praised be Thy Holy

Name, for having chosen us to be slaughtered on Thine altar? (67).

Wiesel physical changes are a major cause of his loss in faith and humanity. He is not

eating because the lack of food being provided, and this is wearing his body down. Wiesel is

talked to and treated like a dog. He is empty on the insidephysically and emotionally. A once

happy, devoted thirteen-year-old now has no desire to learn about God or pray. The Nazis are

stripping him and the other Jews of their belongings and are forcing them to live with the bare
necessities, as if they are not humans. The Nazis goal is to eliminate the Jewish people from the

world and they do this in the cruelest way possible causing just about anyone to lose their faith in

God and man. Wiesel realizes that he must rely on himself because he knows that only he can

help himself: "I did not deny god's existence, but I doubted his absolute justice" (42).

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Work Cited
Wiesel, Elie,Wiesel, Marion.Night. New York : Hill And Wang, 2006. Print.