Elie WieselThroughout the novel Night, Elie Wiesel struggles to maintain his faith in God and the Jewish religion. He has firm and strong beliefs in the beginning of the novel, but as a result of some horrible events, he begins to struggle with his beliefs in God. Despite his hard times through the Holocaust, he still has faith, but in a different way.
At the beginning of the novel, Elie Wiesel has a very strong and absolute belief in God. When he is asked by Moshe the Beadle why he prays, he thought to himself, “Why do I pray? A strange question. Why do I live? Why do I breathe?” Praying to Elie, was as routine and normal as eating or brushing his teeth. Elie has unconditional faith and couldnt imagine a life without God.
He studies religion and wants to learn more and more every day, but soon an unpredictable event would tear him from his home and test his faith. Elies faith that God is everywhere, and that God is good almost seems impossible to believe because of the cruelty and unkindness he witnesses during the Holocaust. Contrary to his beliefs, men are being cruel and they are heartlessly burning and killing people they deem useless. Elie thinks, “Where is he? Here he is, he is hanging here on this gallows. ” Elie doubts God, so much, he believes that he in a way, dies. It would be wrong to say that Elie lost his faith in God.
Throughout the entire novel, Elie uses religious metaphors, even during his lowest points of disbelief. He even made some references to biblical verses, when denying his faith. Those things, prove that the whole time he still had faith, though it is close to nothing. In the end, his struggle to maintain his faith is resolved, helping him to deal with the experiences he went through.
Elie views his faith and religion now in a different way learning things he might not have learned before. Even though his faith has been restored, it has really been his faith that saved him.
