Are You There God?
Are You There God?
Growing up studying the Kabbala at a young age, constant in his loyalty to God, a small boy witnesses the burning of numerous innocent children. His faith is obliterated. His seeking of a benevolent God is heartbreaking, because from the beginning his love for the Divinity is in unconditional. In Night, a memoir written by Elie Wiesel, from when he was 12 years old, he tells about his terrible experiences in the Holocaust of World War 2. Elie Wiesel’s consistent struggle to maintain faith in his God is clearly shown through literary devices throughout the novel, such as diction, symbolism and tone.
He uses diction to relate to the reader in an non-literal way, saying something that he really uses to explain something else, without actually saying it; an implied meaning. It is a simple strategy he repeatedly uses to bring the reader into his shoes. In the beginning of the novel, he is talking with Moché the Beadle about religion, and why they pray. ““Why did I pray? . . . Why did I live? Why did I breathe?” (14). He uses diction in the sense that it seems like he is just asking a question, but he is answering his question with the question. He repeats the word “why” because he thinks of praying as something to survive on, like breath, and life. This is when the reader understands how committed Elie is to his faith. How he can not imagine a world without a Divine Power, or someone leading him through life, or to talk to when he is alone. After his first night in Auschwitz, he tells the reader about his experience, using the same method. “Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never,”(43). He repeats the word “never” to mock a verse from the Bible, Psalm 150, that uses the same format except they use “Hallelujah”. As such, both the form and content of this passage reflect the unbelievable change of Eliezer's faith and the morality of the world around him. Everything he once...
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