Night and the Bible, they are two very different books that are bound with small threads. One of the main similarities that I found between these two masterpieces was the way the story flows, and the similarities between their characters.
Job, Elie (the main character of Night) and most of the victims have very similar characteristics. Elie once mentioned his connection with Job saying, “But I ceased to pray. How I sympathized with Job! I did not deny God existence, but I doubted His absolute existence” (Night, pg. 42).
Just like what happened to Job, when the suffering was very intense, the people start to question and despise God. “Why should I bless His name?” (Night, pg. 31. Also as the situation got worst they felt His absence asking themselves “Where is God? Where is He?” (Night, pg. 61).
While these questions were aroused, also the strictness of the rituals was doubted. “The Day of Atonement. Should we fast? The question was hotly debated. To fast would mean a surer, swifter death.” (Night, pg. 65-66).
Nevertheless, just like there was a “good” friend in the Book of Job, there were few true believers in the concentration camps. Elihu once said to Job, that one of the ways that God communicated with humans was through suffering. This way, when you are healed you will value more God and his kindness. Also, he told Job never to question God or the information that was far beyond his knowledge, and so did Akiba. “I know. Man is too small, too humble and inconsiderable to seek to understand the mysterious ways of God.” (Night, pg. 73).
As I said before, no matter how different the situations and the settings of these two pieces, they both share the same rolls and through suffering, the same questions are aroused.
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Be careful using literary piropos. Are they really masterpieces? Just get into the comparison here. Also, Wiesel knows the Bible, so similarities wouldn't be surprising.
rituals was doubted
Should we only believe on what we see? Can we believe in a God that allows suffering happen to good people? In your blog you often bring to mind the point of Job and Elie’s lack of absolute faith. But they aren’t bad people, then, why do they suffer? You say God brings this suffering as a way of increasing faith among people. People like Job and Elie, good people, who have never done anything wrong in this world. The question is: do people like Job and Elie have faith after this suffering?
I liked the way you connected both books, saying that they where totally different, but that they had some strings connecting them. The historical and cultural backgrounds are placed at very set apart time periods. Basically I agree with your thoughts, the shared theme and question was: why does someone has to believe in a good God if that God permits suffering?
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