Final Remarks

    After completing Schindler's List, I have gained a new perspective on the holocaust and life. I can say with the greatest confidence, that no book has moved me as much as Schindler's List. Before I speak of how the book impacted me, I would like to speak about the ending of the book itself.
    Schindler had now moved his factory operations to Moravia to the dismay of many citizens in the town of which the factory was situated, Brinnlitz. SS guards had been assigned to the camp, but it was not as secured as the camp in Cracow. This gave Schindler a large amount of breathing room. Goeth had been arrested by the Gestapo on charges of trading within the black market, in the prologue it is found that Goeth had been later arrested by Americans at the end of WWII and was executed. The people who were sent to Brinnlitz were only on the elusive "Schindler's List". Schindler claimed that all of the people on the list were essential to the operation of the plant and were all skilled workers. This of course was not the case, as many were unable to even turn on the machines in his factory, he solely did it for the purpose of saving the Jews. All of the prisoners were jammed into cattle cars and were sent to Brinnlitz. The journey was treacherous as there was no space at all in the cars. Eventually the male group of trains made it to Brinnlitz, but the Women's trains had not shown up.
     Schindler was unaware that the women had accidentally been sent to Auschwitz. Many of Schindler's workers had become severely ill in Auschwitz. Auschwitz was a complete horror, prisoners were lucky to get a small piece of bread per day and were often worked very hard and would eventually be told they were going to the "showers". Schindler had to pay a fortune to bribe the SS to let the prisoners come to Brinnlitz. Eventually, they were sent in the cattle cars to Brinnitz.
    Brinnlitz was a  paradise for the Jews. They actually had not produced any real weapons but acted like they were working whenever an inspector came. Schindler had lost tons of money for not producing anything, but did it for the Jews. Oskar had decided to buy weapons from the Czech Republic and then passed it on to the Armanents Inspectorate as his own weapons. This kept his camp alive. His camp was the only camp that no Jews had been killed in. Every single prisoner was provided with a full 2000 calories per day, almost 20 times the amount prisoners had received in Auschwitz. The Brinnlitz factory was a safe haven for the Jews, especially considering the horrors that had been occurring at other camps.
    Oskar had been waiting for one day for his entire life, the day that the Nazis surrendered. Eventually, this day came. Oskar was jubilant and had told the Jews that they had surrendered. A speech was given by Schindler, thanking all the Jews and wishing them the best in the future. He also went to the extent to thank the SS guards for being humane and not aggressive. Oskar armed his prisoners with weapons in case the Russians invaded his factory, and he had escaped dressed up as a prisoner. This was so no Russians or Americans thought he was a Nazi leader. Oskar came across Americans and would later find that his entire home and money had been taken by the Russians. Oskar was now broke, but later would be rewarded.
     Oskar's life really wound down towards the end. He was recognized around the world as a hero. Israel had declared him a Righteous Person, one of the highest honors given from the country. He would live a rather humble end to his life but his workers now had become part of his family. They would visit him often and give him many gifts. When Oskar had passed away, he had left a profound impact on the world.
    As stated in the beginning, I have never read a more powerful story. Schindler's List was truly a moving experience. What stood out most was the immense selflessness and courage of Oskar Schindler. Oskar Schindler could have gone with conformity and done nothing to help the Jews. Instead, Schindler had put his life on the line to save thousands of people. This in itself is an amazing feat. He had saved more Jews than anyone in the Holocaust and most definitely would have been killed if anyone reported. Schindler saw the moral issues with the Holocaust and acted upon it in the most impressive manner.
    I was also immensely moved by the horror in the story. The scenes in the novel seemed completely fictional. They were so upsetting, especially considering the fact that this was the act of human beings. I can not imagine why anyone would of approve of the killing and torture that occurred throughout the novel. The most upsetting scene for me, was when the cattle cars from another factory arrived in Brinlitz. The passengers had been stuck in the cattle cars for 10 days without any food or water, not even seeing the light of day.  When Oskar's workers opened the doors of the cattle cars the results were unsettling. Almost half of the people were found dead, and the stench from the cars was unbearable. It is incomprehensible that any human being would leave people in such a state. This book has given me  powerful lessons that will affect my life forever. Be thankful for the life you were born into, and look to help others whenever possible.