Blog #3-Brianna Baxt

Faith plays a big role in this book and in Elie's life. Going farther and farther into the book Elie starts to lose faith in God. He believes that if God were real than God wouldn't let this happen. Everyone tells him to stay faithful and have hope. Elie believed that if God was no longer with them, that he would not have to listen to religion. "I did not fast. First of all, to please my father who had forbidden me to do so. And then, there was no longer any reason for me to fast. I no longer accepted God’s silence. As I swallowed my ration of soup, I turned that act into a symbol of rebellion, or protest against Him.” (69) Soon other people started to believe that God was no longer with them. They all had lost faith. “"It's over. God is no longer with us." And as though he regretted having uttered such words so coldly, so dryly, he added in his broken voice, "I know. No one has the right to say things like that. I know that very well. Man is too insignificant, too limited, to even try to comprehend God's mysterious ways. But what can someone like myself do? I'm neither a sage nor a just man. I am not a saint. I'm a simple creature of flesh and bone. I suffer hell in my soul and my flesh. I also have eyes and I see what is being done here. Where is God's mercy? Where's God? How can I believe, how can anyone believe in this God of Mercy?"” (76)They needed faith. Faith is what kept them going. If they lost faith, what would they have to rely on?