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Devout
"Why do I pray? Strange question. Why do I live? Why do I breathe?" (pg. 4) This suggests that he views his faith as as essential as breathing. -
Empowerment
"We were the masters of nature, the masters of the world.. We had transcended everything—death, fatigue, our natural needs. We were stronger than cold and hunger, stronger than the guns and the desire to die, doomed and rootless, nothing but numbers, we were the only men on earth." (pg. 87) -
Losing faith entirely in God
"Blessed be God's name? Why, but why would I bless Him?" (pg.67) -
Elie doubts God's power
"And I, the former mystic, was thinking: Yes, man is stronger, greater than God." (pg. 66) -
Dignity is slowly being gained back as Liberation Army draws closer
"Why? For whom? 'Let them know here live men and not pigs.' So we were men after all? The block was cleaned from top to bottom." (pg. 84) -
Independant
"The Germans were already in our town, the Fascists were already in power, the verdict was already out—and the Jews were still smiling" (pg. 10) This passage shows how Elie is not one to go with the crowd. He is critical of his neighbors' optimism. -
Questioning his faith
"I looked at my house in which I had spent years seeking my God, fasting to hasten the coming of the Messiah, imagining what my life would be like later. Yet I felt little sadness. My mind was empty." (pg. 19) -
Feelings of resentment towards God
"Behind me, I heard the same man asking: 'For God's sake, where is God?' And from within me, I heard a voice answer: 'Where He is? This is where—hanging here from this gallows..." (pg. 65) -
Elie rebells against God
"As I swallowed my ration of soup, I turned that act into a symbol of rebellion, of protest against Him." (pg. 69) -
Elie's desire to keep his humanity greater than his resentment towards God
"And in spite of myself, a prayer formed inside me, a prayer to this God in whom I no longer believed. "Oh God, Master of the Universe, give me the strength never to do what Rabbi Eliahu's son has done." (pg. 91) -
Selfishness
"I gave him what was left of my soup. But my heart was heavy, I was aware that I was doing it grudgingly. Just like Rabbi Eliahu's son, I had not passed the test." (pg. 107)