Night essay
In a totalitarian government there is only a few means by which the government retains power. The most important one is fear. In extreme conditions, fear can push people to do unimaginable things that normally would never cross their minds. Fear is the ultimate tool for controlling people. The Nazi government used this method most effectively to carry of horrific events during the 1940’s. Unfortunately a boy by the name of Elie Wiesel and his family were right in the middle of the their evil plans and got caught up in the sadistic rule and extermination of the Jewish people. Elie Wiesel develops in the book Night that fear influences his values. It changes his opinion on religion, his father and living.
In the beginning of the book Elie values religion and fear makes him turn his back on it. In the beginning of the book, this concept would have been unfathomable for Elie. Before the Nazi’s created the fear that took hold of Elie, he was ready to devote his entire life to religion. An example of this is when Elie was talking to his mentor, Moishe the Beadle about religion. “And Moishe the beadle, the poorest of the poor of Sighet, spoke to me for hours on end about the Kabbalah’s revelations and its mysteries. Thus began my initiation. Together we would read over and over again, the same page of the Zohar. Not to learn it by heart but to discover within the very essence of divinity.” At this point in Elie’s life he was very concerned with religion and its mysteries that conceal it. Elie and Moishe would go over the text for hours and they would have no other concern or care while doing so. This shows great dedication in Elie’s character and proves how important religion is to him. To Elie religion is the only moral basis to live his life by. Religion guides Elie, like a Sheppard guides his sheep. When the fear starts to consume Elie that is when he starts to lose his faith. This starts to happen right after he gets to the first...