Previous
Mood
Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Business and Pleasure:
Throughout the novel, Schindler manipulates social settings to his personal and professional advantage. In particular, he uses alcohol as a tool to get his way. An early example of this motif is German official Sepp Aue, who fulfills a drunken promise made at a party by showing Schindler the ropes of the Cracow business world. Aue even introduces Schindler to Itzhak Stern, who becomes his close advisor and friend.
Related Themes:
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Survival by Chance:
Many of the characters in Schindler's List survive the Holocaust by mere strokes of luck. One example of this motif is Genia, a three-year-old girl who is arrested by SS soldiers in Cracow. Genia simply slips away to safety, miraculously unnoticed by her captors even in her striking red clothes. The fact that she's able to survive a day when so many older, seemingly more capable people are arrested or killed shows how, often, survival is determined not by skill or cunning, but by chance alone.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Youth vs. Maturity:
Schindler's List routinely juxtaposes young, ambitious characters with ones who are complacent and middle-aged. One early example of this motif is Sepp Aue, a German official Schindler encounters in Cracow, and his young comrade. In Chapter 2, the younger man wants to report a local Jewish bookkeeper for fraud, while Aue is hesitant:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[…] the go-getter reported to Sepp Aue and said they should call in the Schutzpolizei.
Herr Aue and the young accountant both knew that such an act would lead to the imprisonment of the bookkeeper in the SS jail in Montelupich Street. The accountant thought that this would set an excellent example for Buchheister’s remaining Jewish staff. But the idea distressed Aue, who had a secret liability of his own, his grandmother having been Jewish, though no one had yet found that out.
Related Themes:
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Schindler from Outside:
The novel offers the reader multiple glimpses of Schindler’s outward appearance to those who did not know him well. This motif begins as early as the opening scene, in which he emerges from a fine apartment building in formal clothes emblazoned with a Nazi insignia. Here, his external image makes him seem morally questionable, as though he’s financially benefitting from unethical political affiliations, when in fact, the reality is more complicated.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
Chapter 17
Explanation and Analysis—Schindler from Outside:
The novel offers the reader multiple glimpses of Schindler’s outward appearance to those who did not know him well. This motif begins as early as the opening scene, in which he emerges from a fine apartment building in formal clothes emblazoned with a Nazi insignia. Here, his external image makes him seem morally questionable, as though he’s financially benefitting from unethical political affiliations, when in fact, the reality is more complicated.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
Chapter 26
Explanation and Analysis—Normalcy Through Ritual:
Schindler's List is punctuated by instances of characters seeking normalcy during difficult times by participating in rituals. One example of this motif is Rabbi Menasha Levartov’s Shabbat celebration at Emalia. Schindler slips the rabbi a bottle of wine so that he can perform a ceremony in recognition of the holy day. Levartov performs a Shabbat ritual beneath "the shadow of an SS watchtower"—an image that emphasizes his oppressive environment.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
Chapter 33
Explanation and Analysis—Youth vs. Maturity:
Schindler's List routinely juxtaposes young, ambitious characters with ones who are complacent and middle-aged. One early example of this motif is Sepp Aue, a German official Schindler encounters in Cracow, and his young comrade. In Chapter 2, the younger man wants to report a local Jewish bookkeeper for fraud, while Aue is hesitant:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[…] the go-getter reported to Sepp Aue and said they should call in the Schutzpolizei.
Herr Aue and the young accountant both knew that such an act would lead to the imprisonment of the bookkeeper in the SS jail in Montelupich Street. The accountant thought that this would set an excellent example for Buchheister’s remaining Jewish staff. But the idea distressed Aue, who had a secret liability of his own, his grandmother having been Jewish, though no one had yet found that out.
Related Themes:
Chapter 37
Explanation and Analysis—Normalcy Through Ritual:
Schindler's List is punctuated by instances of characters seeking normalcy during difficult times by participating in rituals. One example of this motif is Rabbi Menasha Levartov’s Shabbat celebration at Emalia. Schindler slips the rabbi a bottle of wine so that he can perform a ceremony in recognition of the holy day. Levartov performs a Shabbat ritual beneath "the shadow of an SS watchtower"—an image that emphasizes his oppressive environment.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
