8th grade students were asked to use text evidence from Night to discuss the change the reader sees in Elie Wiesel’s faith thoughout the course of the novel.
A wavering faith By Emily Sutton ‘24 Night, by Elie Wiesel, is a memoir about a young Jewish boy, Elie, and his experiences in concentration camps during the Holocaust. While he is in these camps, he sees people being tortured, and he begins to see negative changes in himself, as well. All of these atrocities happen while the rest of the world stays silent, which causes Elie to question his faith in God. Therefore, Elie’s faith changes over the course of the novel. In the beginning of Night, Elie is very religious, and he does not understand why he is faithful. Religion is natural for Elie, like sleeping and drinking water. He prays and studies automatically and does not question why. When Moishe the Beadle asks why Elie prays, Elie responds, “Why did I pray? Strange question. Why did I live? Why did I breathe?” (4). Elie needs faith and belief in God as much as he
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