The Trial of God
The Trial of God is a play written and directed by Elie Wiesel surrounding a fictional trial summoning God to act as the defendant. The play depicts a fictional setting, and the notes indicate that the performance should express the mockery of a tragic occurrence. However, the events were witnessed first-hand by Wiesel in Auschwitz when he was a teenager. Trauma in the play is handled by questioning why God accepted the innocent people to suffer evil while He watched. The play focuses on retracing the events during the massacre and speaking about them to release the trauma’s frustration.
The priest in the play was crucial because he reminded the members time to recite the evening prayers and also conducted evening service for the members. The priest is also responsible for asking the questions and delivering a verdict according to the laws of safeguarding humanity. The story is written and performed during Purim because they celebrate the victory of Queen Esther over the Haman genocidal plan. During the Purim festival, the Jews feast, drink, and the play is preferable performed during the period so give the Jews hope of justice being served to the survivors of the holocaust.
In the Trial of God, Sam represents the devil, and the writer compares the arguments he presents with Zophar, Eliphaz, and Bildad. According to Sam, the suffering that befalls people is caused by the sins committed, and God’s justice is assured regardless of the suffering people might have to go through. I have made the observations that Wiesel was very bitter about writing the play seem like an event that never happened, yet it was something he went through as a young man. The play was a way of delivering justice, according to Wiesel, to the survivors of the horrendous cruelty.