How Does Elie Wiesel Change

In the book “Night” by Elie Wiesel, he is taken from his home and transported to multiple concentration camps. This was a result of the Nazi party coming into power and the start of the Holocaust. Elie had no idea what struggles were awaiting him, or what he would be like afterwards, or if he would even survive. Elie changes not only physically, but also mentally, as his personality is altered as an effect of what he has experienced during his time in the concentration camps. As a result of his experiences during the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel changes from a religious, sensitive little boy, to a spiritually dead unemotional man. Elie was a very religious young boy. He was very young when he took an immense interest in his religious belief. He

When Rosh Hashanah, a Jewish holiday, came around Elie did not plead for forgiveness like he usually does. Instead, Elie has given up on asking God for help, and he feels that it has made him stronger and more independent. He says, ”... I felt very strong. I was the accuser, God the accused. My eyes had opened and I was alone, terribly alone in a world without God, without man. Without love or mercy. I was nothing but ashes now, but I felt myself to be stronger than this Almighty to whom my life had been bound for so long. In the midst of these men assembled for prayer, I felt like an observer, a stranger.” (pg. 68 ) Elie no longer felt like he was one of his fellow Jews who would blindly praise God. Elie is now accusing God of doing wrong, and it made him feel like he had power, now that he was judging God himself. Elie starts to show more signs of rebellion. When the Day of Atonement came, Jews were expected to fast, or not eat, but Elie refused. He says, ”I did not fast...there was no longer a reason for me to do so. I no longer accepted God’s silence. As I swallowed my ration of soup, I turned that act into a symbol of rebellion, a protest against him” (pg. 69) Elie is refusing to be faithful to God because he feels that He has done nothing to help him or any of the Jews. He doesn’t believe that a God would allow something like this to happen. Elie has completely changed his faith in God, and he is no longer the innocent and hopeful believer that he used to be. Instead, he is a strong independent man who doesn’t have any faith in