Elie Wiesel’s Night is a harrowing account of the Nazi occupation of Hungary during World War II. Wiesel chronicles the numerous conflicts he faced during this time, including his struggle to maintain his faith in humanity amid the atrocities he witnessed.
One of the most significant conflicts Wiesel faced was between his religious beliefs and the reality of the Holocaust. Wiesel was raised in a traditional Jewish home and had a strong faith in God. However, after witnessing the murder of his family and friends and the horrific conditions in the concentration camps, Wiesel began to question his belief in God. He felt that if there was a God, he could not be responsible for such suffering.
Wiesel also struggled with feelings of guilt and survivor’s guilt. He felt guilty for being alive when so many others had died. He also felt guilty for not doing more to help his fellow prisoners. Wiesel wrestled with these feelings for many years after the war.
The experience of the Holocaust also caused Wiesel to conflict with those who deny that it ever took place. Wiesel has dedicated his life to bearing witness to the Holocaust and ensuring that future generations never forget what happened. He feels that it is important to remember the victims and honor their memory by telling their story.
The Holocaust, which occurred between 1933 and 1945, resulted in the deaths of more than 6 million Jewish people. One of its survivors is Elie Wiesel, who wrote a book titled Night to describe his experiences as a prisoner of war. His book tells the story of young Elie Wiesel’s arrival at Auschwitz and his experience working under Nazi tyranny.
Elie Wiesel is faced with many conflicts throughout the book, some being Elie’s internal conflict with himself and his relationship with God. Eliezer “Elie” Wiesel was born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania on September 30, 1928 (“Biography”). He was a Jew who began to study the Talmud at age five with his friend and mentor, Moishe the Beadle.
Elie became very religious during his studies. In 1944, when Elie was just fifteen years old, he and his family were taken from their home by German troops and placed into concentration camps. Elie watched as his mother and youngest sister were marched into gas chambers and killed. Elie was eventually separated from his father and sent to the camp, Auschwitz. Elie Wiesel’s time in Auschwitz was full of terror, torture, and death.
The problems with Elie’s conflict are that he constantly loses his faith and attempts to choose between supporting his tyrannical father or seizing the opportunity of a lifetime. As a result of his time in concentration camps, Elie’s views on God and religion were called into question. Young Eliezer at the start of the novel displays traits of devotion and trust toward God.
However, Elie’s loss of faith is a direct result of the atrocities he witnesses in the concentration camps. One such event that leads to Elie’s questioning of God is the death of his young friend, and Elie’s inability to do anything to save him. Elie begins to doubt God’s existence after this tragedy.
Elie also has an internal conflict between his own selfish desires and what he believes is right. Elie often contemplates smuggling food out of the camp to his father, even though it would mean starving himself. Elie struggles with making decisions based on morality, as opposed to what would benefit him most in the moment. Eliezer’s conflicts arise from both within and without, and these conflicts serve to challenge Elie’s character and morality.
Every day he would delve further into his religion, striving to establish a more secure connection. “Man asks and God replies,” according to Wiesel. But we don’t comprehend his responses. We can’t comprehend them
Eliezer is constantly questioning his faith and striving to havea stronger connection with
God. However, Eliezer’s relationship with God becomes increasingly complicated as he experiences the concentration camps. Eliezer begins to rebel against God, feeling that He has abandoned the Jewish people.
Wiesel writes, “Where is He? I no longer accepted His silence. As for me, since that night, I had ceased to pray”. Eliezer feels that he can no longer turn to God in prayer because he does not understand why such terrible things are happening. Eliezer’s conflict with God is representative of the larger conflict between the Jewish people and God. The Jews are struggling to understand why they are being persecuted and killed.
In this passage, Eliezer’s confidence in the Lord and his faith is evident, even though he does not understand Him. Even while conversing with God, his entire soul feels compelled to seek and learn as much as possible about the Almighty. On page four, Wiesel states, “I had never asked myself that issue.”
For me, God was simply too complex, too remote, to be grasped by the human mind.” Eliezer is constantly thinking about God and how he can better understand Him. However, Eliezer also goes through internal conflict with his own thoughts and emotions. On page five, Wiesel says “I wanted to curse Him…if only I could free myself of Him!” Eliezer is frustrated with not knowing everything about God and he expresses this anger in his thoughts.
Although Eliezer has moments of self-doubt, he never strays from his faith and continues to search for answers to questions he may have. Eliezer’s conflicts show how strong his relationship is with the Lord despite not always understanding Him. Eliezer’s deep faith is unbreakable and he remains devoted to God even through the most difficult times.
Eliezer’s conflicts also demonstrate how night can be a time of both darkness and light. Eliezer is surrounded by darkness during the night, but his own thoughts and emotions are what provide him with light. Eliezer is able to see the beauty in life despite the horrors he witnesses. This shows that night can be a time of both darkness and light depending on one’s perspective. Eliezer’s conflicts illustrate how an individual can find hope and strength even in the darkest of times.
