Introduction
This story reminisces Jews’ suffering during the Holocaust. The book reflects what happened in Germany and its colonies during the Nazi era. Wiesel uses Eliezer to express his experiences during the Holocaust. The protagonist (Eliezer) undergoes some of the most terrifying situations in life. At a tender age of twelve, this is spiteful. He even loses his faith in God. Moreover, fellow prisoners like rabbi’s son dishonor their parents. However, he remains obedient to his father. The paper will explore Eliezer’s struggle to keep his faith in God amid horrendous experience (Sibelman 16).
Eliezer’s Struggle to Keep his Faith in God
Throughout the book, Eliezer’s understanding of God transforms. In the beginning, we are told that Eliezer’s family is highly respected in Sighet. We are also told that Eliezer respects his father. He is also devoted to his God. This is proved in his strict adherence to Jewish tradition. We are told that he is an Orthodox Jew. Moreover, his parents are staunch followers of their laws and tradition.
In addition, Eliezer studies both Jewish Cabbala and Talmud, which signifies his faith in God. In essence, Eliezer’s faith in God at the beginning is irrevocable. Moreover, we are told that his father is unhappy with his unusual occupation. This shows that his reverence for God is unchallengeable since he goes against his father just to discover the mysteries of God. In essence, Eliezer’s faith in God was strong in the beginning. This is quite evident in his struggles to study the laws of God as well as his mystics (Wiesel 3).
After undergoing various horrendous situations, Eliezer’s faith begins to weaken. A vicious supervisor takes out his gold tooth. In addition, he witnesses numerous deaths in various terrifying conditions, which includes burning in furnaces. He looks for his God to act, but nothing happens. This weakens his faith, especially when he witnesses people acting inhumanly. Moreover, his friends become rebellious to their parents as seen in Rabbi Eliahou’s son. His experience is highly psychological considering his age at the time of these horrendous acts. These acts rob his faith in God. However, this does not happen to him in relation to his father (Wiesel 12).
Akiba Drumer loses his faith in God during these experiences. It is necessary to note that since Eliezer remains committed to his father, he does not completely lose his faith in God because God commands him to honor his parents, which he does to the very end. Moreover, he acknowledges that God has covered his face in order not to see their annihilations because they had rebelled against him (Young 25).
Conclusion
This paper gives a clear picture of people with unfailing faith in God. Initially, Eliezer stands firm in his faith in God despite the happenings round him. He sympathizes with the biblical Job over the latter’s experiences in the full glare of his God. While some victims become rebellious, he keeps the faith and even recognizes the fact that they betrayed their God.
However, it is important to note that his faith becomes weak as these horrendous happenings take a toil on him. This is clear when he says, “God is hanging from the gallows as well.” However, he only considers renouncing his God to save his life but keeps his commandments. This is evident at the end when he demands religious burial for his father (Wieseltier 10).
Works Cited
Sibelman, Simon. Silence in the Novels of Elie Wiesel, New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995. Print.
Wiesel, Elie. Night, New York: Hill and Wang Press, 2006. Print.
Wieseltier, Leon. Kaddish, New York: Random House, 1998. Print.
Young, James. Writing and Rewriting the Holocaust, Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1990. Print.