Sophie's Choice Research Paper
Sophie’s Choice Research Paper
In the novel Sophie’s Choice, William Styron suggests that the burden of guilt can make one’s life vastly difficult, seeming almost impossible to conquer the situation, but teaches a life lesson if the right path is chosen. The Holocaust becomes an incredible personal drama with guilt used as a major theme, in the middle of a massive catastrophe, in William Styron's Sophie's Choice, a big and questioning novel with first-person elements and a fearless determination to explore a particular human dimension of a historical nightmare.
Hitler quickly took control of Poland by specifically targeting and eliminating the Polish race. One of the objectives of controlling large masses of people, used by all totalitarian systems down through history, has been to destroy the educated classes. The novel reflects on Sophie Zawistowski telling her story about her experience in the holocaust, and her life afterwards. There are additionally numerous flashbacks to her time spent in Auschwitz. The title of the book, “Sophie’s Choice”, relates to the tragic decision Sophie was forced to make when entering the concentration camp. When Sophie arrives to the concentration camp in Auschwitz with her two children, Eva and Jan, one of the Nazis tell her that she must decide which child of hers shall live, her son, or daughter. She ultimately chooses her son to live.
Guilt is one of the most powerful forces ever to be brought upon earth. In the event that Sophie has to choose between her two children affects her for the rest of her life. Throughout the book, Styron implies how hard it is on Stingo, when he is not able to stand up for Sophie, or at least for himself. When Nathan makes sarcastic comments about Stingo’s work after reading the first parts of it, it causes the impression that Stingo feels as if he has failed. In the end of the book, Stingo is haunted by his own bad conscience for not being around and being able to stop Nathan from abusing Sophie
In the novel Sophie’s Choice, William Styron suggests that the burden of guilt can make one’s life vastly difficult, seeming almost impossible to conquer the situation, but teaches a life lesson if the right path is chosen. The Holocaust becomes an incredible personal drama with guilt used as a major theme, in the middle of a massive catastrophe, in William Styron's Sophie's Choice, a big and questioning novel with first-person elements and a fearless determination to explore a particular human dimension of a historical nightmare.
Hitler quickly took control of Poland by specifically targeting and eliminating the Polish race. One of the objectives of controlling large masses of people, used by all totalitarian systems down through history, has been to destroy the educated classes. The novel reflects on Sophie Zawistowski telling her story about her experience in the holocaust, and her life afterwards. There are additionally numerous flashbacks to her time spent in Auschwitz. The title of the book, “Sophie’s Choice”, relates to the tragic decision Sophie was forced to make when entering the concentration camp. When Sophie arrives to the concentration camp in Auschwitz with her two children, Eva and Jan, one of the Nazis tell her that she must decide which child of hers shall live, her son, or daughter. She ultimately chooses her son to live.
Guilt is one of the most powerful forces ever to be brought upon earth. In the event that Sophie has to choose between her two children affects her for the rest of her life. Throughout the book, Styron implies how hard it is on Stingo, when he is not able to stand up for Sophie, or at least for himself. When Nathan makes sarcastic comments about Stingo’s work after reading the first parts of it, it causes the impression that Stingo feels as if he has failed. In the end of the book, Stingo is haunted by his own bad conscience for not being around and being able to stop Nathan from abusing Sophie