Transformation (4)

Before entering the concentration camp, Eliezer had deep faith in God, however, during his experience in the concentration camp and by witnessing the injustice to children, women, and the elderly, he doubts the justice of God, considering that the Jewish have not done anything wrong to deserve such cruel actions by the Nazis. Many people believe in god due to their miracles and justice, however, from what Eliezer has experienced, he does not witness justice to the children, women and elderly, therefore, he ‘doubted [God’s] absolute justice’. Through the descriptions of the situation, Wiesel evokes pathos in the audience where he makes them realize that the cruelties experienced by the minorities are inhumane and are unjust, especially for those who strongly believe in God, therefore, Wiesel makes the audience also feel the need to doubt the justice of God. As Eliezer is slowly reducing his beliefs in his culture, he is also loosing a crucial aspect of his identity.

Inhumanity (2)

During the Holocaust, the officers tattooed numbers onto the Jews instead of their names to refer to each Jew almost as an object or a slave, where they are not allowed to express their identity. Considering that a person’s name is a significant aspect of their identity, the identity of the Jews was replaced. For instance, Eliezer “became A-2713. From then on, [he] had no other name”. Through the numerical names of the Jews, they were dehumanized, almost treated as objects. Moreover,  when Eliezer confronts God that he has betrayed his adamant devotees by allowing them to be tortured, slaughtered, gassed, and burned. Through the confrontational tone, Wiesel makes the audience realize the inhumane actions that children, women and the elderly are experiencing just because they are unable to do manual labor.