Religion (Night)

The memior Night, by Elie Wiesel, is the story of a young jew's experience during the holocaust. He starts the story at the point where his life begins to change; when jews start to be persecuted. He is a very religious person. Even before things start going badly, Elie prays all of the time and dreams of a religious future for himself. But as the book goes on, his faith begins to transform into something else.

At an earlier point in the book, there is a scene where Beadle sees Elie praying, and asks him why. Elie is confused. He doesn't know why. He just knows that it is what it is and he must pray. He is religious, and wishes to speak to his god. As their situation starts to get worse, Elie questions his faith. He says that it is not that he doesn't believe in god any longer; he is just starting to believe that god is cruel. As the book progresses more, and on the fateful day that Elie says he will remember forever, he states boldly that this was the day he lost his faith. I wonder how this loss of faith will change Elie. It was so much of what he was. It was part of what kept him going.

Religion is a huge part of society today. Many people are just as religious as Elie was at the start of the book. Others as reigious as he was at the end. I wonder what our lives would be like without religion. Like with Elie's transformation in Night. Just the thought that even if there was a god, he is not respectable. It would be a horrible thing to believe, even if you weren't religious in the first place.