Night By Elie Wiesel Analysis

The appalling realities of war can break even the most powerful of a man’s convictions. During World War II, the Holocaust reduced even the strongest of men to struggle for the bare necessities of survival. Elie Wiesel, a victim of these horrifying acts, persisted through the death and suffering but did not leave unscathed. In his novel Night, Wiesel recounts the moving journey of a Jewish boy having his faith challenged by an almost unimaginable horror. Throughout the story, Wiesel’s passionate connection to God becomes constantly tested to the utmost, and is eventually given up completely to adjust to the dehumanizing conditions in a German concentration camp. As a young boy, Elie Wiesel’s desire to strengthen his thriving connection
When Elie first witnesses the atrocities in the camp, he starts to think of throwing “[himself] onto the barbed wire”(34) to escape from harsh reality. Wiesel’s firm trust in faith suddenly falters and he turns to death to release him from the present horror. In this moment, Elie seems to have given up on his trust in God and ends up deeming death as a better choice than life. Furthermore, Elie begins questioning the praising of God when “[God] caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves”(67). Elie believes now that God should not be praised for the suffering of so many innocent people during the Holocaust. He also firmly sees that God could not be as all-powerful or as forgiving as he once thought. Finally, during the bitter march towards a concentration camp, Elie falls asleep in the snow and thinks “How was I to leave this warm blanket?”(88). Again, Elie contemplates that death is a much more appealing choice than continuing to move on. The reader begins to see Elie’s faith waver as he almost chooses death again for himself. The horrifying conditions during the concentration camp leads to Elie’s mistrust in his