Dehumanization Of Eliezer In Elie Wiesel's Night

The dehumanization of Eliezer by the Nazis in Night by Elie Wiesel
In Night, by Elie Wiesel, a young boy, by the name of Eliezer, becomes a victim of the Nazi’s cruelty and abuse. Because of the abusive treatment Eliezer witnesses and endures at the hands of the Nazis during WWII, he is stripped of his former self forever. No longer is he the secure, connected and loved young man whose faith in God is unshakable; instead, he is a disillusioned shell of a man who has lost family, God, and the belief in human goodness.
By ruthlessly stealing from Eliezer his tangible possessions, his family, his community, and his name, the Nazis cause Eliezer to lose his connection to his security and identity connected to family, place, and tradition. As Eliezer
As a result, he is now a despondent young man who finds no value in prayer and no longer believes that living a good life means life will be good. After the daily work and roll call in front of everyone, as a punishment, anyone who disobeys the Nazis will be killed. And so, Eliezer witnesses the hanging of Pipel, a small child. “And so he remained for more than half an hour, lingering between life and death, writhing before our eyes.”(65) How could God allow this cruelty? “And from within me, I heard a voice answer: ‘Where He is? This is where-hanging here from this gallows…’” (65) The idea of god allowing the hanging of a child for no reason reduces Eliezer’s belief in God’s protection and safety. As well as Eliezer’s overall sense of justice, stability, and fairness are much shaken. The burning of the innocent children in the beginning as he went left as a decision for his fate. “Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.”(34) Why would Eliezer believe in a God that allows innocent children to be burned? At the end of the summer and Jewish year, “Why, but why would I bless him? Every fiber in me rebelled. Because He caused thousands of children to burn in his mass graves? Because He kept six crematories working day and night…” (67) How could god allow such things as those of burning innocent children? How could Eliezer have any faith in god if this is happening to those people who pray to him? Also the event in which a son kills his father because of starvation startled Eliezer and shakes his ideals of family, as well. As people throw bread at the Jews, in wagons, “Meir, my little Meir! Don’t you recognize me? … You’re killing your father… I have bread for you too…for you too…” (101) How could God allow all of this starvation? Enough torture and starvation to cause a son to kill