Loss of Faith in Night by Elie Wiesel

Elie Wiesel's memoir, Night, is a powerful account of his experiences as a young Jewish boy during the Holocaust. Throughout the book, Wiesel grapples with the loss of faith in the face of unimaginable tragedy. This essay will explore the various instances in the text where the theme of loss of faith is evident, and analyze its implications on both the individual and the broader human experience. Through an examination of Wiesel's personal journey, as well as the historical and philosophical context of the Holocaust, it becomes clear that Night is not just a memoir of one man's suffering, but a profound exploration of the human capacity for faith and its subsequent loss.

Loss of Faith in the Face of Inhumanity

One of the most striking aspects of Night is Wiesel's portrayal of his own loss of faith in the face of the horrific events unfolding around him. This loss is first evident when he witnesses the hanging of a young boy in the concentration camp. Wiesel writes, "For the first time, I felt revolt rise up in me. 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 31). This passage highlights Wiesel's growing disillusionment with God and his struggle to reconcile the existence of a benevolent deity with the atrocities being committed.

In addition to witnessing the hanging, Wiesel also describes his own experiences of suffering and loss, which further contribute to his loss of faith. For example, when he and his father are forced to march through the snow for hours on end, Wiesel reflects, "Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust" (Wiesel 34). Here, Wiesel's use of vivid imagery conveys the profound impact that his suffering has on his beliefs. The loss of faith becomes synonymous with the loss of hope and the destruction of his very being.

The Holocaust as a Catalyst for Loss of Faith

While Wiesel's loss of faith is deeply personal, it is also representative of the broader experience of many Holocaust survivors. The sheer magnitude of the atrocities committed during this time period led many to question the existence and benevolence of God. The Holocaust, with its systematic dehumanization and mass murder of millions, raised profound theological and philosophical questions about the nature of evil and the presence of a higher power.

Historian Lucy Dawidowicz argues that the Holocaust shattered the traditional Jewish belief in a covenant between God and the Jewish people. She writes, "The Holocaust struck at the very core of Jewish existence by destroying the illusion that the Jewish people were chosen, that they had a special relationship with God" (Dawidowicz 78). This loss of faith had profound implications for Jewish identity and the relationship between Jews and their religious beliefs.

Furthermore, philosopher Emil Fackenheim contends that the Holocaust represents a rupture in the history of Judaism. He argues that after the Holocaust, Jews are faced with a moral imperative to remember and to continue living in the face of unimaginable evil. Fackenheim writes, "The Holocaust is a stumbling block for all theology… The only statement theology can make after Auschwitz is that there is no theology" (Fackenheim 99). According to Fackenheim, the loss of faith is not a surrender to despair, but a call to action and a refusal to let the horrors of the past be forgotten.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Elie Wiesel's Night explores the theme of loss of faith in the face of unimaginable tragedy. Through Wiesel's personal journey, we witness the profound impact of witnessing and experiencing the horrors of the Holocaust. His loss of faith is not only a reflection of his own struggles, but also representative of the broader human experience during this dark period in history. The Holocaust shattered traditional beliefs and raised profound theological and philosophical questions about the nature of evil and the existence of God. In the face of such immense suffering, the loss of faith becomes a catalyst for reflection, remembrance, and a determination to ensure that the horrors of the past are not forgotten.

Bibliography

Dawidowicz, Lucy. The War Against the Jews: 1933-1945. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975.

Fackenheim, Emil. "The Holocaust and Philosophy." The Journal of Philosophy, vol. 82, no. 9, 1985, pp. 471-485.

Wiesel, Elie. Night. Translated by Marion Wiesel, Hill and Wang, 2006.