How steep or cruel can choices be? There can be no end in personal and professional life wherein competition and love makes us do dastardly acts. As I reflect upon the human mind in chaos when tumultous choices pour out of unexplored pockets of life...we face the barrage of human emotions for which none of us will ever have the capacity or possible build a capacity. One such choice that comes to my mind is in the movie "Sophie's choice". The talented and beautiful Meryl Streep(of the Iron Lady fame) is on the anvil of such a choice.
The movie revolves around the life of a beautiful girl, Sophie during the Nazi invasion of Poland. The Polish
population is subjected to cruelty and many are moved to Auswitchz concentration camp (A site in Krakow Poland which I one day will definitely visit and pray for the departed). In an epic hair raising scene, Sophie along with her two young children, Jan and Eva is forced a cruel decision by the Nazi officer manning the gates of Auswitchz.She, either, has to select one of her children for the gassing chambers(A certain death!) and the other to the labour camp in a matter of minutes.The officer tells her that if she doesn't make a choice almost surely he will send both the children to the gassing chamber.
I saw the scene repeatedly again and again. The beauty of Sophie with her shining wide eyes,
the fear in the children, the calmness of the sadistic Nazi officer and the cruelest silence one can ever witness as Sophie's goes through the emotions of horror, shock and the end acceptance of her choice. I could not escape Eva,one hand cuddled around Sophie and in the other having a small doll . Jan is all wrapped around Sophie's thigh, standing, fearing to look at the officer as the children also realize the choice forced on their mom. Sophie does make a choice when the officer warns her of not acting quickly and nearly snatching both the children. She let goes her daughter to the gassing chamber and saves her son.
Much has been debated over Sophie's choice. Was Sophie's choice correct? Many argue that there was hardly anything Sophie could do in such a cruel situation. Her options were crazy and no matter what she chose would appear crazy to people if she reasoned it out. The eccentric reason she gives for making the choice is that while Eva had a doll to hold on to Jan was completely dependent on her. This might sound crazy but to me as a mother she made of choice who depended on her more at that very moment of time. Several people argue that in such a situation she should have witheld the choice and let both her children
go to the chambers. This sounds another crazy option...but as it turns out it makes sense. By making her choice, the sadistic officer has passed on the responsibility of killing the child on to Sophie who must now live with this choice every day of her life.
Certain extra ordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. In the movie, her son is lost in the concentration camp and Sophie's choice faces a bitter end. Sophie comes out of the concentration camp alive and however, enable to live off the trauma enters into a relationship with another mentally ill survivor of the camp. She has a casual relationship with a reporter whome she tells about her choices. The reporter asks her to marry her..however, she returns back to her earlier relationship(shame of realising that how she left her loved ones) only to be shot ill fatedly by her lover during his mental fits.
Sophie comes out as a weak character to me. She tries to reason out with evil and expect something good out of them. In the end, she bears the responsibility of the choice. She goes back to her lover when she has a more fruitful relation with the reporter. I possibly cannot say that I can understand but then, such is the nature of life. Before you denounce me as evil for my harsh judgement, have a clear look in Sophie's character and say that. Put in yourself in her shoes(A big ask)...and remember situations where you made evil choices.
Maybe, her "choice" isn't that cruel after all for we might have made far more evil choices....
The movie revolves around the life of a beautiful girl, Sophie during the Nazi invasion of Poland. The Polish
population is subjected to cruelty and many are moved to Auswitchz concentration camp (A site in Krakow Poland which I one day will definitely visit and pray for the departed). In an epic hair raising scene, Sophie along with her two young children, Jan and Eva is forced a cruel decision by the Nazi officer manning the gates of Auswitchz.She, either, has to select one of her children for the gassing chambers(A certain death!) and the other to the labour camp in a matter of minutes.The officer tells her that if she doesn't make a choice almost surely he will send both the children to the gassing chamber.
I saw the scene repeatedly again and again. The beauty of Sophie with her shining wide eyes,
the fear in the children, the calmness of the sadistic Nazi officer and the cruelest silence one can ever witness as Sophie's goes through the emotions of horror, shock and the end acceptance of her choice. I could not escape Eva,one hand cuddled around Sophie and in the other having a small doll . Jan is all wrapped around Sophie's thigh, standing, fearing to look at the officer as the children also realize the choice forced on their mom. Sophie does make a choice when the officer warns her of not acting quickly and nearly snatching both the children. She let goes her daughter to the gassing chamber and saves her son.
Much has been debated over Sophie's choice. Was Sophie's choice correct? Many argue that there was hardly anything Sophie could do in such a cruel situation. Her options were crazy and no matter what she chose would appear crazy to people if she reasoned it out. The eccentric reason she gives for making the choice is that while Eva had a doll to hold on to Jan was completely dependent on her. This might sound crazy but to me as a mother she made of choice who depended on her more at that very moment of time. Several people argue that in such a situation she should have witheld the choice and let both her children
go to the chambers. This sounds another crazy option...but as it turns out it makes sense. By making her choice, the sadistic officer has passed on the responsibility of killing the child on to Sophie who must now live with this choice every day of her life.
Certain extra ordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. In the movie, her son is lost in the concentration camp and Sophie's choice faces a bitter end. Sophie comes out of the concentration camp alive and however, enable to live off the trauma enters into a relationship with another mentally ill survivor of the camp. She has a casual relationship with a reporter whome she tells about her choices. The reporter asks her to marry her..however, she returns back to her earlier relationship(shame of realising that how she left her loved ones) only to be shot ill fatedly by her lover during his mental fits.
Sophie comes out as a weak character to me. She tries to reason out with evil and expect something good out of them. In the end, she bears the responsibility of the choice. She goes back to her lover when she has a more fruitful relation with the reporter. I possibly cannot say that I can understand but then, such is the nature of life. Before you denounce me as evil for my harsh judgement, have a clear look in Sophie's character and say that. Put in yourself in her shoes(A big ask)...and remember situations where you made evil choices.
Maybe, her "choice" isn't that cruel after all for we might have made far more evil choices....
