Enduring the horrific events of the Holocaust ripped Elie’s deeply instilled faith right out of him. He was unable to believe in a benevolent god because he presumed a well-meaning god would never have allowed the slaughtering of his people to happen. Also, as the Nazi’s used fear to strongly condescend over and dehumanize the Jews, they were able to determine whether innocent men, women, and children would live or die. Elie’s recount of the Holocaust serves to explain the true capabilities of human beings and urge people to never allow something so sadistic to happen