Lauren+O.-+Schindler's+List

Schindler's List: By Thomas Keneally Plot Synopsis: Oskar Schindler started as a rich German who owned factories in the city of Cracow. He didn't start as anything special, he drank and cheated on his wife many times, not what you would expect as a hero. But he became a hero to some 1200 Jews from Poland on Schindler's List. Instead of going to the concentration camps like Auschwitz and Stutthof, or being killed when the ghettos were liquidated, they worked at Schindler's factories. Working there, they would get a safe place to be and food to eat. It wasn't the best place, food had to be rationed and he couldn't give them everything, but it was better than what could have been. One survivor said, " You don't understand. We were grateful to be there. There was nowhere elso to be" (Keneally 337.) They knew it was better than the camps, and that Schindler did the best he could. "He spent his afternoons in the little streets off the market square of Cracow haggling at staggering prices for whatever the bureaucrats desired. Otherwise, he was sure, they would keep him waiting till his last Jew had gone to Auschwitz" (Keneally 289). Schindler did what he could and saved so many thankful Jews. The book is many stories of survivors who worked at Schindler's factories and lived through the Holocaust because of him and his wife. Literary Information: Schindler's List is a novel of true memoirs. The style is many short stories from the survivors and people who knew Schindler at the time. Keneally put everything together to tell Oskar Schindler's story. Criticism: I thought the book was written very well. Being able to have all the combined stories of the different survivors made it an even more interesting story than if you were following one person. It creates a variety of views and I liked how it was told. The only thing I didn't like was the people interviewed sometimes who didn't think Schindler was as good as he could have been. It was a small part, but still frustrating. I think this book is outstanding because of the emotion it can bring out in the people who read it. It tells of real survivors and how Schindler helped so many people. The story was told very well about the good people that are there, even in the worst of times. "Thus, among the unjust, we do not forget the just. Remember Oskar Schindler" (Keneally 393). The people know that Oskar did his best and the people in the stories really explain it well. I would highly recommend this book. Even though this is a sad story with awful truths, it is worth reading. The Holocaust was a terrible thing that happened, but an important part of history to know about. Reading about good people like Schindler puts a little brightness into what you think of the world.