Night by Elie Wiesel: Analysis of Moishe The Beadle Character

One of the characters in the novel NIGHT by Elie Wiesel is Moishe the Beadle, in this essay we talk about him, his character, and traits, even some of his demeanor. According to the book “he was as awkward as a clown” meaning he was not used to people, or was uncomfortable by social interaction, he had Anthropophobia. His eyes were also described as being “glazed over” as if deep in thought maybe? He was also described as being deeply spiritual, always trying to find answers within himself, asking questions no one thought to ask. He was somewhat of a spiritual mentor to Eliezer in his early life, helping him master the Jewish mystical arts. He clearly cared about the people deeply, even though he was poor and was probably treated as less than by most people. Doesn’t that leave emotional scars, knowing other people see you as less than?

In the book Moishe the Beadle travels along the border and stumbles into a Polish forest where German soldiers did unspeakable things to men women and children. So naturally the traumatized good natured Moishe goes to warn the people, which shows he really does care about the Jewish population of Sighet. Naturally the people don’t believe him because he was very poor, the other people don’t believe him, they think he wants pity from the people, yet he stayed this tells me Moishe is a very kind hearted person. After witnessing the atrocities he did in that forest he lost his fire, his passion for most things he was traumatized. Even as he came back he barely spoke, and when he did he only talked to warn people of the impending danger. Moishe is a very interesting multifaceted character in this novel, he was also deeply traumatized by what he saw which adds a certain depth to him an unimaginable sorrow, possibly underlying his gaze. Moishe is (or should I say was?) according to the book one of Eliezers’ mentors, he taught him how to ask questions to God, he taught Elie “the secrets of Jewish mysticism”.

Spiritualism, and religion were clearly very important to Moishe, they made up one of the pillars of his life, his mindset. Religion was Moishes’ scapegoat from the terrible reality that was his life, he was poor, unloved, and deeply traumatized by the events he saw in the forest. He probably wanted an escape from normal life and found himself to be deeply religious as a result of his life being the way it was. In spirit Moishe was vastly wealthy, in the more tangible realm of things he was poor, and maybe a little mad from grief of what he saw. His religion, his uber-spirituality were ways of him coping with the outside world and rationalize things.

Everyone has something to cope, some people turn to religion, or to study, some people divert their path to alcohol and drugs, but everyone copes in some, we all need something to hold us up something that is everlasting.