Introduction
Night by Ellie Wiesel describes the events of World War II and the genocide that the Jews suffered. However, along with the depiction of the historical context, the author focuses more on conveying the inner experiences of the narrator. The crisis of faith is associated with witnessing cruelty and rethinking one’s beliefs, which are the central motives of faith.
The author simultaneously demonstrates the indifference of God and salvation in Him. Wiesel’s dissipation of faith is a perfect example of the hurt and heartache the holocaust caused. Throughout the text, it is apparent that despite having an intimate relationship with God, being witness to the devastation and destruction of the human race can tear apart the faith of even the most devout of followers of Jesus.
Betrayal of Faith
Abandoning faith is not a new cultural theme and has many examples in the religious tradition. However, the author’s experiences in the book have unique characteristics due to the circumstances and experiences Eliezer experienced. The narrator’s previously strong faith in God is shaken due to the inaction of God, who allowed what happened to happen. Wiesel states, “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” (Wiesel 33).
Silence is one of the central themes in the book, and each occurrence symbolizes a more significant loss of faith. The inability to understand how God could allow some people to rule over others creates constant rhetorical questions in the author’s mind (Berger 18). Religion, which previously seemed genuine to Eliezer in the conditions of the Holocaust, begins to cause rebellion and disagreement in him.
Moreover, the betrayal of faith is connected with how people’s behavior changes in concentration camps. The Jews betray each other for their gain, which mirrors the betrayal of Jesus by Judas (Wiesel 45). They are placed in circumstances that force them to favor religious ideals or their own lives. Eliezer himself is also forced to make decisions that will affect his fate. One of these choices is his father’s abandonment, which marks the final loss of faith in the narrator.
According to Quigley, Eliezer’s father in the book is a symbol of God, and the neglect of family ties is an allusion to the loss of faith (61). His family connected the narrator with traditions and religious beliefs. Therefore, the rejection of these relationships led to a weakening of the influence of the heritage on the author’s consciousness.
Besides God’s silence, fear is an essential factor in leaving faith. The oppression and threat to life that the Jews were subjected to in the concentration camps forced a person to abandon his beliefs (Berger 20). It reflects the story of Peter, who abandoned Jesus out of fear for his own life. Because of fear, the narrator abandons his father and everything that connects him with the past. In addition, other Jews, fearing for their own lives, choose betrayal instead of unity. Like Pontius Pilate, they made moral compromises to protect themselves, even at the expense of sacrificing innocent lives. It demonstrates the power of the influence of fear for one’s life on a person’s consciousness and values.
Moreover, the absence of God in the concentration camps led to the fact that man began to feel superior. The narrator states that he felt powerful since he “was the accuser, God the accused” (Wiesel 68). Man becomes the arbiter of destinies in a world without divine mercy left. In fact, by placing himself above God, Eliezer greatly exaggerates since he has no control over the circumstances in which he finds himself. However, by placing himself above God, the narrator shows he no longer needs His help.
Mental Health and Faith
The mental health and trauma the narrators experienced in the concentration camp had a strong influence on Eliezer’s attitude toward God. Praba states that “trauma mutes the subject and destroys one’s identity” (2702). The experience of the concentration camps led the author to abandon the ideals and principles in which he previously believed. However, by questioning the divine plan, Eliezer “never abandoned God and the Jewish tradition” (Berger 17). The book presents faith as a destructive force and a path to salvation through rethinking the world.
Witnessing cruelty, murder, and genocide certainly took a significant psychological toll on the narrator. Constant exposure to tragedy takes a severe toll on Eliezer’s mental health, resulting in emotional scars that linger long after the physical wounds have healed. In such conditions, people inevitably need something to give them internal strength to resist and survive. The narrator gradually begins to restore his faith in God, praying to Him for the strength not to abandon his father (Wiesel 93). Even having lost faith in God, he does not stop praying, hoping for mercy and salvation.
Faith remains the only source of hope for people who despair in a world full of cruelty. Contrasting the devastation of the Holocaust is the portrayal of religious practices as potential sources of solace. In the narrative, people who regularly attend or practice religious services demonstrate resilience to the onslaught of depression, anxiety, and anger (Wiesel 78). The author suggests that the structure, community, and spiritual foundation provided by religious activity may act as protective factors for mental health.
The communal nature of these practices provides a sense of belonging and purpose, giving people the strength to navigate the darkest corners of their experiences. The narrator himself still does not accept God for his silence and inactivity in what is happening. However, simultaneously, he categorically perceives his power and superiority as God (Wiesel 94). His prayer demonstrates that Wiesel is aware of his potential for weakness and, therefore, turns to a higher power for help.
The book portrays the fragility of faith and mental well-being when faced with unrelenting negativity. As Eliezer faced the darkest aspects of human nature, witnessed atrocities, and grappled with his existential questions, his faith and mental health deteriorated. The widespread negativity and overwhelming severity of the horrors of the Holocaust serve as catalysts for the breakdown of protective barriers that faith and mental well-being can provide. However, through self-reflection, the narrator returns to faith after the events he experienced (Marincean 398).
Ultimately, Wiesel expresses gratitude to God for surviving the brutality of the concentration camps. At the same time, the book’s epilogue emphasizes that this is no longer the same faith he had when he was thirteen. It is not blind trust in the divine plan but a new awareness based on reflection on the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Wiesel 120). It is an understanding of the Jewish tradition and religion in its original intent without false expectations or total reliance on God.
Unrealistic Expectations of God
One of the most apparent reasons for a narrator’s loss of faith is his initial unrealistic expectations. The author points out that when he was thirteen, he believed in God with all his heart, remained devoted to Him, trusted His protection, and regularly expressed gratitude. During the day, he studied the Talmud, and at night, he ran “to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the Temple” (Wiesel 3). Religion had the highest value for the narrator and was perceived as sacred and indestructible.
Complete faith in the power of God and that he could prevent any evil led to the destruction of the ideals of Judaism in the mind of Eliezer. When he witnesses the inhumanity of the Holocaust, the dissonance between his expectations of divine intervention and the harsh reality of suffering destroys his faith (Wiesel 27). However, as a teenager, the author could not explain his faith or the meaning behind the prayers. God was perceived by him as a higher power, having an indestructible influence on everything that happens (Mueller 53). It was this blind faith that became the cause of further rebellion and doubt in Eliezer’s mind.
Another important aspect is the role of prayer in the narrative and the transformation of its perception in the author’s mind. Before the Holocaust, the narrator’s prayers had no actual request but were more aimed at honoring God and his power. The author notes that even as he headed to the concentration camp, he thanked God “for having created mud in His infinite and wondrous universe” (Wiesel 38). Eliezer found the presence of God in everything around him and unquestioningly relied on him for salvation.
However, later, when the narrator was already in the camp, his prayers changed from gratitude to requests for help. God’s silence in response to these prayers created a feeling of abandonment. According to Eliezer, God, who must always have been there and helped people survive difficulties, left them to their fate (Mueller 56). The discrepancy between his fervent pleas and the harsh reality of his circumstances challenges his faith and the relationship between humanity and the divine. This image highlights the delicate balance between faith and doubt, and unanswered prayers serve as a powerful catalyst for the destruction of faith.
Besides the fact that God did not respond to the narrator’s prayers, he generally did not interfere in what was happening, allowing bad things to happen to good people. The suffering of innocent people during the Holocaust prompts Eliezer to question the fairness and fairness of God’s actions (Wiesel 40). This imbalance between expectations and observed events leads to disappointment in faith and anger. It highlights the difficulty of maintaining faith when circumstances have nothing in common with the ideals and values embedded in the religion (Marincean 401). It leads to the narrator’s rethinking of his perception of what is happening and the transformation of blind faith into a conscious approach to interaction with God.
Conclusion
The book demonstrates the shaking of the faith of the non-aerator caused by external circumstances and the indifference of God. Blind trust and confidence that God is a higher power that guarantees Eliezer’s safety led to disappointment and renunciation of faith. He struggles to accept that his God would allow the destruction and hurt he has had to endure and witness through the holocaust. He is a perfect example that even the closest followers of Jesus can be affected, and to rationalize the dissipation of faith is understandable.
Works Cited
Berger, Alan L. “Elie Wiesel’s Quarrel with God.” The Palgrave Handbook of Holocaust Literature and Culture, edited by Victoria Aarons and Phyllis Lassner, Palgrave Macmillan, 2020, pp. 15-25.
Marincean, Alina. “The Ethics of Elie Wiesels Storytelling as a New Theoretical Approach in Representing the Holocaust.” World Lumen Congress Proceedings, edited by Antonio Sandu, Editura Lumen, Asociatia Lumen, 2021, pp. 396-411.
Mueller, Mary Catherine. “The Role of the Four Prophet Figures in Night.” The Struggle for Understanding: Elie Wiesel’s Literary Work, edited by Philip Smith and Victoria Nesfield, State University of New York Press, 2019, pp. 51-77.
Praba, Felicita Mary. “Trauma – Then and Now in Elie Wiesel’s Night and Susan Abulhawa’s The Blue Between Sky And Water.” Journal of Positive School Psychology, vol. 6, no. 11, 2022, pp. 2702-2709. Web.
Quigley, Shannon. “Father and God (the Father) in Wiesel’s Night as Response to the Holocaust.” Humanities, vol. 10, no. 1, 2021, pp. 57-67. Web.
Wiesel, Ellie. Night. Hill and Wang, 2006.