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The Ethical Theology of Elie Wiesel
Of all the works of Elie Wiesel, the one which might most appropriately be called "theological" is The Town Beyond the Wall (TBW). It recapitulates, and anticipates, some of the most significant themes with which the author is concerned in many other works, both fiction and nonfiction. In TBW Wiesel uses the medium of fiction to confront some of the most crucial and overarching philosophical issues: suffering, evil, rationality, madness, silence, indifference, meaningfulness. TBW, therefore, requires not only literary criticism — though that too — but philosophical analysis based upon the sources of the Jewish tradition, which, after all, are the vitalizing wells of Wiesel’s own life and thought. Indeed, the real significance of TBW (or, for that matter, much of Wiesel's other works) is best decoded with a deep knowledge of classical Jewish literature. Wiesel, in this book, reminds me of Kohellet, Ecclesiastes. He picks up a theme, fondles it, examines it from several aspects, and either puts it aside for more attention later or rejects it. TBW is not simply a philosophical work in fiction form; it is a series of profound meditations, a modem version of a tale by the Hasidic storyteller, Rebbe Nahman of Bratslav: intriguing as the story is in its own right, its true message lies beneath the surface. Like a Biblical verse, a section of a Talmudic Agada, or a Midrash, it must be read on two levels, or what the Jewish tradition calls peshat (the plain meaning) and derash (the symbolic meaning). First, a brief outline of the plot. Michael, the protagonist, is born and lives, during his earliest youth, in a little Hungarian town, Szerencsevaros. After the war, which shatters his life along with that of his family and townspeople, he finds himself in Paris, penniless and haunted by the ghosts of the past. He finally meets and forms a fast friendship with Pedro, an unusual, hearty and insightful man. Pedro is part of a smuggling ring. Since Michael s burning ambition is t…
