God never intervened and Ellie had to reconsider the role of his faith in his life. Though the absence of God may have led many to question their faith, there is another component of faith that must be considered. Elie's faith in God, by itself, had allowed him to find the strength to carry on as the elders reminded him, "You must never lose faith, even when the sword hangs over your head. That's the teaching of our sages" (Wiesel, 40).
Lack of faith can quickly turn to despair Elie considered the idea that he was "alone-terribly alone in a world without God" (Wiesel, 75). He goes as far as to mention that he might believe in Hitler beyond all others because he is one that kept his promises; though the results of these promises were horrific. This represents the lengths that he went in his fall from faith. There was a strong mistrust of God by most while others were angry with God, and even more were forever shaken in their faith. However, those that held...
They took everything from Elie and the Jewish people who were also in his position; they took their freedom, identity, family, dignity, and in many case their very lives. It is reasonable to suspect that many people would have a natural response to such a situation where they would question their faith and the existence of God. Despite this being a reasonable position in light of such events, it is also interesting to note that many were also able to find strength in faith; a strength that allowed them to persevere through the most trying times imaginable. I believe it is the strength that faith provides that allowed Elizier and many like him to hold on to their faiths even though they had such a trying experience.
Works Cited
Wiesel, E. (1972). Night. New York City: Hill and Wang.
