People’s actions have a significant impact on an individual's perception of life. Whether in verbal, or physical form, it can completely alter one's beliefs and optimism. In Night, Elie Wiesel explores the devastating impact of the Holocaust on the faith of the prisoners; It illustrates how the dismay of the concentration camps and the cruelty of the Nazi regime can shatter even the strongest of beliefs in God, humanity, and oneself. Incipiently, the acts of hatred endured by the prisoners cause them to doubt how God could allocate such ongoing terrors, leaving them weak and justiceless. Once a very faithful individual, Eliezer refuses to pray to a God that he feels is driving the Nazis in their acts of hatred taking place in the inhumane …show more content…
Elizers faith in himself has washed away in the flames he witnessed in the center of all the horror, “The student of Talmud, the child I was, had been consumed by the flames. All that was left was a shape that resembled me. My soul had been invaded—and devoured—by a black flame” (Wiesel 34). Significantly, the flames serve as imagery of when innocent individuals' bodies are being burnt in the crematorium. The flames of the fire symbolize the burning of Eliezer's faith in himself as that is the fate he is picturing for himself. Black represents darkness and he feels devoured by a black flame; it illustrates that Eliezer feels a great sense of darkness devouring his soul. Similarly, after witnessing the tragedies of the horrors he’s undergoing, Eliezer feels ready to give up into eternal rest, “I saw myself in every stiffened corpse. Soon I wouldn't even be seeing them anymore; I would be one of them. A matter of hours”. (Wiesel 89). Eliezer is tired of fighting, he is starting to envy the corpses he sees as they were no longer undergoing any torture. Any sense of optimism that he had to make it out alive was drained, when thinking about his fate, all he sees upon himself is death. He no longer views himself as an individual with a bright future, but rather, as a lifeless object about to get consumed by the flames and the hatred of the
One of these deaths was of his father, who after his death, Eliezer seemed relieved. He saw so many executions and deaths that it seemed to him as an everyday routine. From reading Night one infers that he was a strong witted child, able to run away from death in many occasions. Although he seemed not well affected by his father´s death, he did show that he loved his dad dearly, he tried to save him, to see him alive by giving him his own food. He chanced his dad even more because he was separated from his mom before going to the concentration
From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany sent over 6 million Jewish people into concentration camps. Elie Wiesel’s Night is a book detailing his experiences in these camps and the various atrocities committed by the Nazis to both him and the rest of the prisoners, which included his father. These things affected his psyche, his attitude, and his faith. Elie’s view of God slowly changes throughout the book, directly caused by what the Nazis did to Elie and his father.
Following the death of the young boy Elizer continues to question his belief and grows angrier at his god, his anger is apparent during the service of death when they were blessing god. “Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled. “Because He caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves?
We, readers, are pulled into this intimate moment between a father and his son, as we feel the anguish that Wiesel describes. Despite the horrific circumstances, there is a glimmer of hope as Eliezer refuses to give up on his father until the very end. This scene in which his father is to die brings such sadness, fear,
I wanted to see myself in the mirror hanging on the opposite wall. I had not seen myself since the ghetto. From the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me.” His mindset shows that through all the hardships that Eliezer has gone thorough, all the pain and sorrows that he needed to face, he has finally given up. Traversing through the entire story, Eliezer still had that small spark of faith inside of him.
Witnessing the atrocities committed by the Nazis and experiencing the loss of his family and friends, Eliezer begins to question the existence of a benevolent God. He reflects on this internal struggle, stating, "Blessed be God's name? Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled. Because He had thousands of children burned in His pits?
The other Jews does not experience everything that Eliezer has. His faith is put to the test over and over until he cannot handle it anymore. This all starts from the moment he sees the burning babies and begins questioning God however he finally loses it
Chapter three “My forehead was covered with cold sweat. Still, I told him that I could not believe that human beings were being burned in our times; the world would never tolerate such crimes.” Eliezer was right the world wouldn't tolerate such crimes, but the deaths of his people were not known to anyone. And so for the time being no one cared or would even turn their head to look at the deaths of the millions. This tragedy was enclosed for the time being like a bubble filled with black oily sludge, just waiting to be popped like a burst puss filled
As a result of this Eliezer realizes that humanity can be cruel and that people can never show remorse for some people. However his understanding of humanity isn't the only thing that came from the Holocaust but also his test in resilience. “I
When Elie is initially sent to the concentration camp, he witnesses the corpses of his fellow Jews being burnt to a crisp and the scent of burning flesh. “A truck drew close and unloaded its hold: small children. Babies! Yes, I did see this, with my own eyes... children thrown into the flames.
The author shows how terrifying it was to be in the camps but also how faith can help you get through those tough times. Religion and faith can shape a person's form in different ways either a good or bad way. The book shows how these camps can use a person's humanity, and How it can affect their religion. Eliezer and his family got captured and taken to camps, while some died and others were injured. Eliezer had to use his faith in god to know they would come out alive even if he had second thoughts.
“A dark flame had entered into my soul and devoured it.” (pg 34 Wiesel). The quote from Night explains how Eliezer and the others felt. They feel fear, agony, hopeless, all they could do was sit omit and watch death consume
Upon entering the concentration camp, Elie is greeted by the crematorium, a circus of flames. He witnesses a truck unload babies, dumping them into a ditch to be burned. “Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever” (34). The spectacle engraves itself permanently into his consciousness. He thinks of it constantly and it eventually consumes his mind, both during his time at the camp and long into his adulthood, following him even until after liberation.
It shows the devastating consequences of allowing these forces to gain a foothold in society and the importance of standing up against them. It is a powerful reminder that we must remain vigilant in our efforts to combat hatred and bigotry and that we must always strive to protect the rights and dignity of all people. In addition, Night highlights the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable adversity. Despite the horrors that he experienced, Elie Wiesel found hope and meaning in his life, and he dedicated himself to ensuring that the world would never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust. His determination to bear witness to the truth of what happened serves as an inspiration to all of us, reminding us that even in the darkest of times, we can find the strength to carry
The thought of slowly being burned and going through all the suffering made Elie contemplate whether killing himself in a quick way was the better option. Furthermore, after what Elie had been through, he desired to disappear altogether. “The idea of dying, of ceasing to be, began to fascinate me. To no longer exist (86)”. Elie's internal conflict illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole because when a person sees so many deaths of dear ones, having no hope, and does labour work all day, they feel that there is no use in living anymore.