Asmussen: Schindler and Wallenberg

The movies Good Evening Mr Wallenberg and Schindler’s List are testimonies of one person being able to not only change but save thousands of lives. As demonstrated in both movies, Schindler and Wallenberg are average men. There is nothing extraordinary about them that gives them the opportunity to become heroes. They took it upon themselves to save others and not worry about what the consequences were.

Schindler was an unlikely candidate for a savior. When most of the people in the interviews describe Schindler, one of the things they mentioned first is that he loved to drink. He was always the life of the party and a well known womanizer. He was a businessman who conducted shady deals and tricked people into giving him money. He did not go to Poland to save Jews, he went there to make his fortune. He knew how to manipulate the system and make friends in high places that would be able to help him out later. However, throughout the movie we see that he becomes more aware of the power he has and what he could do with it. This is when he begins expanding his list and trying to save more people. At the end he clearly sees the extent of the Nazi cruelty towards Jews and realizes that something needs to be done. Schindler is proof that you don’t have to be a saint to do something good and help people, even if initially it was only you intention to benefit yourself.

Wallenberg seems to be a bit more moral than Schindler. He enters Hungary with the purpose of saving as many lives as he possibly could. Throughout the movie it becomes clear that he truly doesn’t care what happens to him, he is willing to do anything to save others. He endures sleepless nights and a threat on his life to save even a few people. Along the way others discourage him by saying that he is only saving a few lives which is an insignificant number when compared to the millions that were being slaughtered. However, Wallenberg doesn’t let this prevent him from continuously going back and making a great effort to save only a few people are being held captive. Schindler had power and it was easier to make a list of people to save. He had connections and while it was not an easy task to save lives, he was in a position where he could do so. Wallenberg on the other hand was not as lucky and didn’t have as much respect in the community. He is proof that you don’t need a lot of resources to be a savior, what you really need is willpower and dedication.

These were the stories of two ordinary men who decided to be different from the rest and risk their own lives to help the underdog. There were many that didn’t step in at all, those who stood by the sidelines. One of the reasons that many looked the other way while the Nazis abused the Jewish people is because of fear. They didn’t want to draw attention to themselves because they couldn’t be sure as to how the Nazis would react. They could be killed on the spot simply for sympathizing with Jews.

The second reason that I believe stopped others from attempting to save Jewish lives is because they believed the Nazis. They began to believe that everything was truly the fault of the Jews and that society was functioning better without them. It was easy to see the Jewish people as a whole instead of as individuals (like Schindler and Wallenberg did). When seen as a group it was simple to convince yourself that they aren’t people and therefore easier to ignore their deaths.