Augustine's Idea Of Free Will In Night By Wiesel

Intro: The theodicy I choose to related to Night by Wiesel is Augustine’s idea of free will. Augustine's idea of free will can be defined as people given the choice to make decisions in their lives, that evil is the absence of some good and that God does not make decisions for us. All these aspects of of Augustine's theory can be viewed in several scenes of eveil?suffering portrayed in the novel Night.

Theodicy:

For example, Augustine here talks about the average individual he states, “By the same token, anyone who perversely loves the goodness of any nature whatsoever, even if he obtains the enjoyment of it, becomes evil in the enjoyment of the good” (p.61). Augustine explains the idea that ultimately it is left to us and our own choices

We can see the absence of good or perhaps the evil in Elie when he does not answer his father when he calls. We can relate this to free choice because Ellie goes on to explain how nothing was really done in memorial for his father’s death. However, it was Ellie's choice in all that happened because he states I had not answered the call. Ellie had not answered the call to do anything special for his father after he died nor did he verbally answer him when he spoke his last words.

2) Event: “ Not far from us, flames. Huge flames, were rising from a ditch. Something was being burned there. A truck drew close and unloaded its hold: small children. Babies! Yes, I did see this, with my own eyes.. Children thrown into flames. (is it any wonder that ever since then, sleep tends to elude me?)” (p.32). Apply (evill is the absence of good): We can relate this to augustine's view for free will by first consider the fact evil. She can consider the evil of babies being thrown in the fire an absence of good. He can understand that ellie takes this to be evil because it impedes him from falling asleep at night. This then ties into free choice of humans because it was on Ellie to go out and stop this evil. But, instead he just watched it