Hello, friends. Today, we are going to get straight on to the point. And the point is this: Why did Levi think that old man Kuhn's prayer was is vain? I found this line very interesting, and as I'm not sure whether or not somebody wrote something about it, I'm really hoping that they did. Here are my thoughts:
Levi says that if he were God, he would spit at Kuhn's prayer. That's right, folks. He'd spit at it! Why? Does Kuhn not have the right to be grateful that he was not chosen for selection? This I simply do not understand, but I am willing to dive in and see where it takes me.
I believe that at this point, Levi has reached his lowest point. Yes, he has help from others like Lorenzo, and people such as him give him hope for the future, but think about it for just a quick moment. He is completely dismissing the idea of prayer itself as a form of foolishness. Why? Is he not a Jew? Does he not believe in God? Is he tired of praying, or does he think that God isn't listening, or that he doesn't care, or worse-- that this is what God wants. I think that this isn't something that God wanted for his people, but I do know that God tells us in his word that life is supposed to be extra hard for us. We see that all around us, with friends in tough situations, loved ones dealing with serious health issues, and so many more problems and issues that come about in life. I think that Levi is in a state of numbness, only he is more numb than even before, having been through the suffering long enough for it to be routine. The psychological effects of this camp are ones that don't just go away, things like that stick unless one relies on God alone to remove himself from them.
I feel like numbness is something that the devil can do to get at you. There are days where I have to force myself to feel emotion, because if not, then I'm simply indifferent. That always bugs me to death, being typically an emotionally driven person. This is why Levi is shaming prayer. I do think that in a more shallow sense, he finds this prayer to be selfish, but I know that because of Levi's current state his feelings toward God and prayer are only resentment and anger at what is happening to millions and millions of people.
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