The Struggle to Stay Faithful
What if people were taken to a place where they could not speak or act on their own due to their religion? A place where people were tortured and even died because of what they believed. Would that affect the way the people lived and how much they believed in their religion? If people are exposed to this harsh environment for too long, they will begin to lose the faith that they had built up for so long. This is what the Jewish population had to endure during the Holocaust. The idea of losing faith is very prevalent in the novel Night, by Elie Wiesel. Wiesel writes about an encounter with an epidemic where everyone throughout the camp is slowly losing faith in God. Wiesel finds himself following the trend …show more content…
Wiesel questioned his faith to an extreme measure. One specific example that showed Wiesel questioning his faith was when they first arrived at the camp and laid their eyes on the crematorium. Wiesel wrote, “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?”(pg. 33). After viewing the crematorium, Wiesel could not believe what he saw. The thought that the Germans were burning people alive just blew him away. This is an important turn in the novel because a strong believer like Wiesel was beginning to question his faith when he had only just arrived at camp. Wiesel was utterly shocked. His first reaction was to blame God because he was enraged that God did nothing to stop the tragedy. The sight of the crematorium was when Wiesel started to lose faith. The example shows us how difficult it is to maintain faith throughout tough times like the Holocaust. Wiesel was beginning to find it more and more difficult to …show more content…
As his experiences with the Nazi’s grew, doubt began to fill his thoughts. How could there be a god if he allowed such tragedy to occur? In the toughest times it becomes even harder to trust your beliefs. Under prolonged stress and difficult conditions, even the toughest minded individuals begin to question themselves. Some people may argue that they will maintain faith no matter the circumstances. However, only those who have experienced a tragedy like the Holocaust truly know the strength of their own beliefs and
What if people were taken to a place where they could not speak or act on their own due to their religion? A place where people were tortured and even died because of what they believed. Would that affect the way the people lived and how much they believed in their religion? If people are exposed to this harsh environment for too long, they will begin to lose the faith that they had built up for so long. This is what the Jewish population had to endure during the Holocaust. The idea of losing faith is very prevalent in the novel Night, by Elie Wiesel. Wiesel writes about an encounter with an epidemic where everyone throughout the camp is slowly losing faith in God. Wiesel finds himself following the trend …show more content…
Wiesel questioned his faith to an extreme measure. One specific example that showed Wiesel questioning his faith was when they first arrived at the camp and laid their eyes on the crematorium. Wiesel wrote, “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?”(pg. 33). After viewing the crematorium, Wiesel could not believe what he saw. The thought that the Germans were burning people alive just blew him away. This is an important turn in the novel because a strong believer like Wiesel was beginning to question his faith when he had only just arrived at camp. Wiesel was utterly shocked. His first reaction was to blame God because he was enraged that God did nothing to stop the tragedy. The sight of the crematorium was when Wiesel started to lose faith. The example shows us how difficult it is to maintain faith throughout tough times like the Holocaust. Wiesel was beginning to find it more and more difficult to …show more content…
As his experiences with the Nazi’s grew, doubt began to fill his thoughts. How could there be a god if he allowed such tragedy to occur? In the toughest times it becomes even harder to trust your beliefs. Under prolonged stress and difficult conditions, even the toughest minded individuals begin to question themselves. Some people may argue that they will maintain faith no matter the circumstances. However, only those who have experienced a tragedy like the Holocaust truly know the strength of their own beliefs and