Monday, April 26, 2010
Survival
During The Lives of Others, I found an interesting parallel between Christa-Marie's choice to tell the Stasi about the whereabouts of Dreyman's typewriter and the feelings that Wiesel had towards his father near the end of Night. The fact that Christa-Marie would turn in her lover for her own survival and life struck me as horrifying and slightly selfish. Right after this scene in the movie, I also instantly recalled the moment in Night, when Wiesel had the thoughts on stealing his father's rations in order for his own survival. I found both these incidents shocking and appalling, but I also understood that I was witnessing them through the eyes of a person who is not currently worried about their own survival. However, when I really thought about the circumstances of both the Holocaust and the situation in which Christa-Marie was placed in, it became a bit easier for me to see how as humans, survival rides above all else. It's a bit disconcerting actually, to find out through these Holocaust texts and through movies such as The Lives of Others, the extent to which others will go in order to ensure their own survival and happiness. It struck me most though, because often when the Holocaust is thought about, only the horrors of concentration camps and torture come to mind. However, I find that some of the greatest damage occurred in moments like the one with Wiesel and his father and similar moments to that of Christa-Marie and Dreyman, in which case loved ones betrayed one another in order for themselves to survive. In our current lives, it seems awful that a family member would choose their own life over another's, but in circumstances like the Holocaust and even under the intense pressure of the Stasi, many people did whatever they could to stay alive, even going so far as to risk the lives of those that they loved.
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I found your parallel very interesting, Vivian. I never would have thought to connect those two incidents together. It indeed is rather unnerving to see what people are willing to sacrifice for their own survival. But I would like to point out that Christa-Maria's choice wasn't about survival. Her job was at stake, and though I can see how passionate she was about acting and how much happiness it brought her, I still cannot comprehend how she could turn in the one person she loved. I do agree that we see these instances as someone who may spend years learning about the Holocaust and East Germany, and still never fully understand what the people there went through. At the same time, you have to look at someone like Wiesel, who's actual survival was at risk. Yet, even though he had thoughts of abandoning his father, he never acted on them. Christa-Maria, on the other hand, had only her career to lose. She chose that over her lover. Of course, I understand the circumstances she was put through and how much being an actress meant to her. But she still had a choice. And in the end, it is our choices that define us. Unlike Wiesel, Christa-Maria was too weak to make the right one.
ReplyDeleteI fear that we never know what decisions we would make under pressure, and I hesitate to judge because I think extraordinary circumstances can produce surprising results, both good and bad. All we can do, I guess, is exercise our own consciences in daily life so that in the event there is ever a judgment day, so to speak, we are ready.
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