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Annabell Jelitto
Mr. Bigelow
English 10
8 April 2015
The Role and Contribution of Faith
Faith is an idea that is sometimes hard to grasp. It can build up very quickly, but it can
crumble just as fast. It can also teach important lessons to those willing to listen. All these factors
of faith are shown in the book Night by Elie Wiesel. In this book, faith functions in two
completely different ways by acting as a sign of hope for some, and a complete down fall for
others. Faith also contributes to the meaning of the book by letting the reader decide if faith is
what kept Elie alive or if it was something different. Faith is shown as a sign of hope because to
some in the camp, there was nothing left to cling to. Faith is also shown as a sign of down fall
because it is completely destroyed to others in the camp. The meaning of the book is greatly
increased by the way Wiesel allows the reader to see how faith is not enough to keep Elie alive.
There are different functions of faith in this book. Faith being shown as a sign of hope is
one of them. At one point in the book, Elie tells of how the other inmates and himself are lying in
their cots when Akiba Drumer starts to talking to everyone, trying to raise their spirits of their
terrible situation by saying, God is testing us, and, if He punishes us mercilessly, it is a sign
that He loves us that much more (45). This shows Akiba Drumers faith growing stronger and it
also shows his beliefs to be standing strong and keeping him alive even in the circumstances that
he was in, this was foreshadowing to later on in the book when Akiba Drumer dies shortly after

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losing his faith. Faith being shown as a sign of hope is also seen when Akiba Drumer had found
a verse in the Bible that, made it possible for him to predict Redemption in the weeks to come
(51). This shows how Akiba Drumer who was an inmate, in the holocaust, in one of the most
notorious concentration camps, found hope in his faith inside the bible, proving faith to be a
factor in his survival and a sign of hope.
Faith is also shown as a sign of down fall in the book. Elie shows a big loss in his faith
after he had found out that his uncle died shortly after finding out that his family was gone, and
Elie says, I was not denying his existence, but I doubted His absolute justice (45). This shows
Elie questioning his faith and whether or not he should believe in what his God had planned for
him and all the others. He no longer had complete faith in his God. It also shows a sign of down
fall in Elie because his mindset had been changed by his experience, and he was no longer
hopeful in Gods plan. Another loss of faith is shown when Elie prays in spite of himself because
he did not want to abandon his father like Rabbi Eliahus son did to his father and he says, a
prayer formed inside of me, a prayer to this God in whom I no longer believed (91). This shows
Elie losing complete faith in his God, who was literally what he based his life off of before the
camps. This is a sign of a down fall for Elie because if he no longer had his faith, he didnt know
what else he had to live for.
Faith contributes to the meaning of the book by allowing the reader to see how Elies
faith was not enough to keep him alive. Elies faith was tested and it was clear to see when he
had his faith and when it was lost. As soon as something slightly virtuous happens, like when the
inmates get information that Auschwitz was the last stop in their journey, his faith reappears and
he says, We gave thanks to God (27). This shows how he is clinging on to his faith when
something good happens, because that is what he wants to believe is keeping him alive. Elie also

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realizes loss of faith in others when another he is talking with another inmate while recovering
from surgery and the inmate says, I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has
kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people (81). This shows Elie noticing other
people losing faith and focusing on what was really happening in the moment instead of focusing
on their faith to keep them alive. This contributed to the meaning of the book because it was an
initial sign of Elie seeing that faith might not be on his side, and just might not be enough to keep
him alive in such a dire situation.
Faith appeared as a sign of hope to some in Elie Wiesels book Night by allowing the
inmates to have faith when they believed all hope was lost. It gave them a reason to believe in.
Faith also appeared as a sign of down fall in others. It appeared as a down fall by letting Elie
down in a sense that what he believed in for so long, was now not there for him when he needed
it the most. It also contributed to the story by bringing the audience closer to Elie, letting them
analyze his faith, and also letting them decide if faith was a factor in his survival while he was in
the camps.