The Turning Point of Elie’s Faith in Night
Every human has a breaking point that they just can't avoid. Many people try to avoid it by placing their thoughts into something that gives them hope or a sense of understanding. This thought or idea is known as faith and it gives a sense of light in a dark situation. In Elie Wiesel’s Night, Elie’s faith is tested every day as he endures hardships and horrible living conditions during a terrible time. Night deals with the topic of faith and how it can be the light in a dark situation or how faith can be the downfall of oneself when they are too dependent on their religion. In the beginning, Elie is curious and interested in his religion and he seeks to know more. Many cruel things happen and Elie questions his faith in god and whether this is a test. He loses his faith in religion and loses focus on the goal he's had since he arrived.
Elie begins to question his faith as he begins to endure constant pain and fear in the camps of auschwitz. He's always being forced to work and his family has been broken up. They have to constantly witness someone get beaten or killed whenever they step out of line. Elie wonders if this is all part of god's plan or if there was no god at all. He wonders as to how a god could let the people suffer like this and let such cruel things happen to people that were faithful in the beginning. His father remains faithful but it is Elie who is questioning his faith. His father whispers something in his ear and “For the first time, I felt anger rising within me. Why should I sanctify his name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for?”(33) Elie becomes angry as his father’s faith is still going strong while he's blaming God for not saving all these people. He becomes disappointed when he realizes that the people in the camps are selfish and disloyal. Elie fears that God is no longer caring for him or for any of the other people in the camps with him.
Elie begins the story wondering what it means to be faithful. He loved the idea of faith and religion and depended on it, believing that there was someone looking over him. Elie begins to question everything as they are taken prisoner into a concentration camp and forced to work. He wants to believe that someone is watching over him but he just can't because no one seems to be protecting him or anyone else in the camp. Elie's faith has been questioned everyday and it gradually becomes weaker until he can no longer be faithful. He witnesses people around him lose their faith and he does so as well. Elie’s loss of faith represents many other peoples' journeys when they face tough times. We witness one of the stages of how one can lose faith when enduring such horrible things.
