Chapter 6
Elie has been confusing the reader in whether his faith in God is completely gone or just damaged. Last section we witnessed him stripping away his faith and rebelling greatly at God, even claiming that he believed God was dead. Now, Elie has managed to restore even faith to praise God and give worship. Although his religious state is in question, Elie acknowledges death often. He looks at death commonly as a source of removal from the atrocity he has experienced. We see that he has majorly lost hope in life, and actually visualizes himself to be dead soon. While he contemplates suicide and death in general, however, he also speaks of some primitive response against such. Something inside him naturally fights for survival, so I wonder if this force will strengthen and renew his hope soon.
- “God knows what I would have given to be able to sleep a few moments. But deep inside, I knew that to sleep meant to die. And something in me rebelled against that death.” Page 89
- “I saw myself in every stiffened corpse. Soon I wouldn’t even be seeing them anymore; I would be one of them.” Page 89
- “And in spite of myself, a prayer formed inside me, a prayer to this God in whom I no longer believed.” Page 91