Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Schindler’s List, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Virtue and Selflessness
Anti-Semitism and Dehumanization
Power
Duty
Bureaucracy
Summary
Analysis
When the Einsatzgruppe starts an Aktion on December 4th, Stern realizes that Schindler was trying to warn him, and that he can be trusted.
Schindler solidifies his relationship with Stern by providing sound intelligence. This is the turning point when Stern realizes that Schindler is a trustworthy ally to the Jewish population in Cracow, and that he will work to subtly undermine the Nazis.
Themes
Abraham Bankier, the office manager at Rekord, helps Schindler find capital for his new enterprise. Some of the richer Jewish residents of Cracow knew that Germans would seize their property, so they kept some of their money in “portable wealth,” like diamonds, gold, and trade goods. Bankier knows that these Jews may be willing to invest in Rekord because enamelware is safer than keeping money in złoty. They make informal deals without contracts, which Schindler repays (in part because he makes so much money that it’s negligible to repay them).
Though Schindler is the face of his operations, men like Bankier are critical to helping it run behind the scenes. Schindler knows well that running a successful business in Nazi-occupied Poland isn’t just about operating in the official channels—it also involves informal deals and trades on the black market. The złoty was the official currency of Poland during World War II and still is today.
Themes
Emilie finally does come to visit Schindler in Cracow in the new year. She is still embarrassed that her father hasn’t paid her dowry, but Schindler doesn’t mind. One day, Pfefferberg comes in with a black-market rug and asks if Emilie if he can see “Frau Schindler.” She responds that she is Frau Schindler, causing Pfefferberg to embarrassedly try to cover up his mistake.
Pfefferberg’s mistake demonstrates how careless Schindler is about hiding his extramarital affairs. It’s noteworthy that Emilie doesn’t make a bigger deal out the whole situation, suggesting that she’s already familiar with Schindler’s habits and remains committed to him regardless.
Themes
Schindler leases a factory across the river Zablocie. He renames it to Rekord Deutsche Emailwaren Fabrik, and soon after receives some army contracts. Due to the contracts, he is allowed to expand. As he’s starting his factory and growing it, at various points in the year, Stern comes by with Jews seeking employment. Within a few months, Schindler has 150 Jewish workers.
The army contracts are a key part of Schindler’s early success—they’re what allow him and his workers to get classified as essential. Though this production is ultimately what helps Schindler save people’s lives, it does add a slight moral gray area, since he and his prisoners do contribute resources to the Nazi war effort at first.
Themes
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Governor Frank announces in April that all Jews, with the exception of a couple thousand skilled workers, will have to either voluntarily leave Cracow or be forced to leave. His plan isn’t carried out as quickly as he intended, but it causes several Jews to try to become qualified as skilled workers. Men like Stern look for Germans like Schindler and Madritsch who seem like they can be trusted to provide jobs.
Frank’s harsh actions foreshadow even worse events to come for the Jewish residents of Cracow. Schindler and Madritsch, meanwhile, use the exception to Frank’s rule to their advantage, both to expand their workforce and to help Jewish workers stay in Cracow.
Themes
Schindler begins to become frustrated by the way SS squads detain his Jewish workers, saying it affects his factory’s productivity. He complains about this to Toffel, who says that the SS men on top care more about getting rid of Jews than they do about productivity. Schindler begins to advocate for the right of a factory owner to have a say over how his workers are treated, to stop them from being harassed on the way to work.
Schindler makes the argument that his Jewish prisoners shouldn’t be bothered because they’re necessary for the war effort. Though later this is frequently a lie, in this case, Schindler may genuinely be thinking about productivity. He knows that a productive factory will help provide cover to his Jewish workers—as well as profits for himself.
Themes
