The Holocaust was an awful and traumatic experience that greatly affected the lives of several Jews who survived it. In Night by Elie Wiesel, Eliezer witnesses the evil humans are capable of during the Holocaust. During his time in the concentration camps, he begins to change as a person. In the book, Night by Elie Wiesel the evil nature of humankind leads to the destructive changes of Eliezer's beliefs, his humanity and his personal relationships. Elie Wiesel utilizes Eliezer's loss of faith, his loss of humanity and his relationship with his father to show that the war between good and evil not only takes place between countries but also within the mind of a human.
In the novel, Eliezer's loss of faith is a result of the unspeakable horrors …show more content…
Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams into ashes. Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as God Himself” (Wiesel 34). When Eliezer says this, he is reflecting on his first night at the concentration camp and the effects that night had on his whole life. This is the first time Eliezer talks about his loss of faith and the beginning of his deteriorating faith in God. The events he faced that night were horrific, this causes his beliefs to crumble right before his eyes. Eliezer's faith in God continues to worsen every moment he is in the concentration camps. Another event that alters Eliezer's position on God is the hanging of the young pipel. The pipel is a young boy who worked for the Dutch Oberkapo. In the camp the power failed at the electrical plant, this was done by the Oberkapo. The Oberkapo was questioned and remained silent, eventually he was transferred to another camp. After, the young pipel got questioned and tortured. The pipel also said nothing and was sentenced to death. The hanging of the …show more content…
As Eliezer and his family get off the cattle cars they were escorted by SS officers. The SS officers start to command the Jews to separate into two lines as Eliezer says “Eight words spoken quietly, indifferently, without emotion. Eight simple, short words. Yet, that was the moment when I left my mother. There was no time to think, and already I felt my father's hand press against mine: we were alone. In a fraction of a second I could see my mother and my sisters move to the right. Tzipora was holding Mother's hand. I saw them walking farther and farther away; Mother was stroking my sister's blond hair, as if to protect her. And I walked on with my father, with the men. I didn't know that this was the moment in time and the place where I was leaving my mother and Tzipora forever” (Wiesel 29). This was one of the most painful experiences Eliezer goes through since it would be the last time he would see his mother and Tzipora. After his release, Eliezer learns that his mother and Tzipora were killed, however, his two other sisters survived. In the harsh selection process, the Nazi soldiers got rid of people who were seen as useless creatures, while the others were forced to