Eliezer
Wiesel's form of resistance is rooted in his denial of the existence of god/the goodness of god.
Elie resists a theological demand that he obey, trust, or appreciate a god that could allow such
horrors to happen to him, his family and loved one, and Jewish people in general.
Eliezer is slowly changed over the course of the novel from a man of faith to an
atheist who refuses to accept that there is any holy reason or justification for the Holocaust.
As Eliezer survives the concentration camps he does not thank god, but rather, understands that
random selections by the Nazis, coincidences, and internal strength/decisions are the reasons
that he survives.
This form of resistance may appear, especially to those who
are uncritically religious, to be a tragic loss of faith or even a weakness of spirit. However,
Elie rebels against the idea that what happened to him and the rest of those imprisoned/killed
in the concentration camps or executed outside the camps, could ever coincide with the existence
of a merciful or loving god. Through this, Elie loves himself enough to know that he does not
deserve to be persecuted, and that there is no larger holy plan that could ever justify the
Holocaust.
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