Night - 3/30/15

Pages Read: Finished
Author: Elie Wiesel

     Throughout this memoir there has been many changes in Elie physically and mentally. Although, one of the main changes the readers identifies is his strong faith in his religion. In the beginning we are introduced to how religious he is. When Elie is asked why he prays, it is told in the memoir, "Why did I pray? A strange question. Why did I live? Why did I breathe?" This shows that his prayer, which is his religion, is just as of importance as his own life. His belief is something that is included in his life. It is not until later Elie changes his thoughts.

     Elie's belief and faith takes a twist when his whole life style changes. When Elie and his dad arrive at the concentration camp they see many horrors before them. They witness various hangings, beatings, and other deaths of Jews. All these negative events happening to them specifically makes Elie question God, along with other's doing so. Some Jews completely lost faith. When other's in the concentration camp was praying to God, Elie thinks to himself, "Why should I bless his name? The eternal, lord of the universe, the all-powerful and terrible was silent..." The reader also notices Elie's disbelieve as he recalls back to what he is thinking, "Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust." This shows that Elie looks back to the moments when his point of view of God changes because of how terrifying these events were, and it is unforgettable.

   Another change throughout the memoir is Elie's relationship with his father. In the beginning Elie describes his father as an "unsentimental man." His father "rarely displayed his feelings, not even within his family, and was more involved with the welfare of others than with that of his own kin." Meaning, that his father was just a figure in his life. Later in the story, when Elie and his father were separated from the rest of their family, which are the females, they become closer. They both go through the same struggles together and are very inseparable.

     At the end Elie is trying to convince his father that they both must not fall asleep because they have to be aware of their surroundings. "I''l watch over you and you'll watch over me. We won't let each other fall asleep. We'll look after each other." This shows how Elie and his father has come close together until the very end. Although throughout the memoir there are parts that shows Elie Wiesel's loss of humanity.