FAITH
b) Use a timeline to document the significant events surrounding Elie's faith throughout the
text. Faith may be a positive influence in his thinking or there may be time where it is
questioned. Consider the conflict Elie experiences with his faith (positive and negative) and
document these events and their outcomes. (Used Word).
Combined the two into one answer.
c) What role did faith play in the text? (Used Word)
Before the Holocaust.
During the start of the book Night Elie Wiesel had a lot of faith. He was really religious. He prayed
every night. He was studying Talmud and Cabbala. Elie’s dad thought he was to young to be studying
Talmud and Cabbala, so Elie approached Mosche the Beadle to teach him. Elie asked Mosche about
God and religion. Faith was so important to Wiesel. He wanted to learn anything and everything about
God, and the religions.
Faith is so important to Elie Wiesel; he prays every morning and every night. Even when the rumours
were spreading around the town, about the evil concentration camps, about all the evil events Hitler
has planned everyone still had their faith. They believed that God will protect them, through anything.
`Nothing will happen to us, for God needs us.' Even when they go taken into the ghetto’s and knew
they were about to get taken away somewhere unknown ``our optimism remained unshakable”.
Even when they were getting taken to the concentration camps Wiesel’s faith was still strong. They
believed the punishment they were receiving the deserved it, maybe they did something wrong
before god and this is how god chose to punish the Jew’s. They believed it was all a part of god’s
greater plan, his greater purpose. The learned to deal with the suffering, and kept their pride up as
they were apart of god’s plan. So Wiesel and the town that still had their faith believed that they
would be soon saved.
Soon the delusions dissolved, and Wiesel begun to doubt God.
Signs of Doubt-Holocaust
It was not easy for Wiesel to lose his faith in God, he kept holding onto his faith, keep trying to
wonder what god is doing? He tried to come up with reasons to justify the German’s actions. But
sooner or later, Wiesel witnessed too many innocent Jew’s having their lives taken from them, and
started to doubt God.
The first sign of Wiesel losing his faith is when he arrived at Auschwitz. Elie and his father are
directed to go to the left, as they are heading to the crematoria to get burned alive. Elie's father
starts to prey. Elie begins to question God. Why should I bless His name? The Eternal, lord of the
Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for? (Wiesel, page 31)
The absence of God crushes Wiesel as much as the horror around him. Wiesel feels the need to find
God, to explain why God is so silent. The question repeats itself throughout the book; "Where is God
now?"
Wiesel did not completely lose his faith. He could not deny God. He just questioned gods motives,
and felt angry about it.
Faith almost lost- Holocaust
During the Holocaust, God appears cruel. Wiesel and the others believed that God allowed the pain
to continue for God’s own cruel purposes. Wiesel is angry, and believes that god is cruel. The time
Wiesel used to spend in worshiping God was now time used to accuse God, and demanding an
explanation from God.
Even though Wiesel’s faith is lost, he still talks and thinks about God. Why is god doing what he is
doing? Why is he being cruel? Wiesel still refer’s to god and wants to find answers.
Faith was important to Wiesel; it was a reason to live. His faith in God changed drastically from the
start of the book until the end but it was visible that God was a huge part of him. He always
questioned and went back to thinking about God as he had spent so much time before the
Holocaust studying God, thinking about God. In the Start he got questions Why do you Prey? He
responded. Why do we breathe? Preying and believing in God was everything, it was just
expected. It was just as important as living, breathing and sleeping. Although it all changed Faith
played a significant part of the book.