Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally
Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally
Horrifying subject in a great novel that in the midst of all that terror brings in luminary, the epitome of the hero, on a par with Ulysses, Superman and all the rest…The Ultimate Übermensch…more on this and other novels at
Even if the novel is wondrous, the subject is terrifying and I had to read it in two stages, having abandoned half way through.
The plot and the end is well known so there is no need for a spoiler alert, preventing anyone that characters die at the end.
- Many Millions die
This is so depressing that I avoided the book, knowing in advance who the characters are and everything else does not appeal to me either.
- The figure of Oskar Schindler is towering over the story, needless to say
His saga is one of humanity, generosity, compassion, bravery, resilience, intrepidity, justice and so many other human values.
This is absolutely a Hero that cannot be surpassed
Not by Batman, Catwoman or any other figure, except perhaps by the likes of Churchill, who can be argued has saved more human beings.
- Oskar Schindler is the Ultimate role model.
Having said that, amends must be made, for there is a dark side to this personage who is not a saint or an angel.
Oskar Schindler drinks too much for his own good and he has to pay for this bad habit that affects the health of anyone who indulges too much in it.
He was a womanizer and an unrepentant philanderer, who had affairs up to his old age, without antagonizing hi spouse too much.
I was surprised to find that she did not resent this negligence and unfaithfulness- I for one have to answer the Inquisition when there’s a new Facebook friend that looks appealing and there are suspicions.
- The atrocities are appalling
In fact, I have read in the extraordinary History of God by the brilliant Karen Armstrong a meaningful story:
- In a concentration camp, a number- if not all- of Jewish people have been outraged by the lassitude of God
- Why would a Supreme, All Mighty, Omniscient Lord allow such an atrocity of catastrophic proportions??!!
- He deserves to be put on trial!!
- And they presented the accusations, deliberated and found the Celestial, Divine King of Kings guilty and deserving to die
- After which they went for…the evening prayer
There is an explanation for all this madness, mayhem and barbaric destruction of millions and millions of lives.
Experiments have shown part of the reason why so many Germans have been involved in these massacres.
Not because they were especially cruel- at least this is the case for the majority of them, the clique that includes Goebbels, Himmler and so many Nazi leaders is an altogether different matter-but because they respected authority.
Robert Cialdini talks about the principles of influencing people in his magical book and a classic of psychology:
- Influence
One of the principles is respect to authority tested in an experiment where most of the participants obeyed the authority in the room when asked to electrocute human beings beyond the voltage where it hurts.
There is more to say about this, but in another note- on Influence by Robert Cialdini I talk more about it, in case you are interested- and we can see this principle in practice as we watch ads on TV, with people dressed as doctors, engineers promoting various products that customers buy Influenced by their apparent “Authority” on the subject
There are positive passages, when the prisoners go out of their way to help Schindler and his wife, with the tables turned and the Russians near.
There is the close escape, seen also in the movie, of a young prisoner who has the lucky star or an angel on the shoulder, who makes the pistol of the lunatic Goth jam…and not once, or twice, but every time the madman tries it.
In the end, one issue I have in this story that depicts Nazis at their worst…they deserved punishment all the blame and the laws that forbid any manifestation of fascism in Germany and other places.
- But what about communism??!!
- Why is that still allowed
- Communism has killed not just more, but a few times more people than their fellow serial killers
- They deserve the same ban and the same treatment
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