Schindler's List

Despite the events’ historical basis, Schindler’s List is written as a novel. How would the presentation of Schindler’s story differ were the book written as nonfiction, without dramatization? What effects or themes do Keneally’s interventions add?

The prologue introduces readers to Schindler’s narrative midway through. Why does Keneally choose to introduce Schindler in this way? How did it shape your perception of the following chapter?

What relationship does Keneally present between Nazis and death? What imagery does he use to convey this relationship?

Analyze Goeth’s rise and fall through the ranks of power in the Nazi party and compare this to Schindler’s trajectory through the novel. To what extent does Keneally’s imagery of “dark brotherhood” between the two men appear in their trajectories?

What antisemitic stereotypes, myths, and imagery did the Nazis use to dehumanize the Jewish people? How does this antisemitism negate the possibility of empathy for the SS?

What is the relationship between the enslavement of the camp prisoners, business, and the Nazi war machine? How do the interests of business and politics structure the camps?

What is the significance of Redcap? What role does she play in the story and how does her experience in the liquidation affect Schindler?

Keneally often uses hard data to convey Schindler’s efforts and Nazi crimes. These range from caloric intake to money spent to numbers of people executed or deported. What is the rhetorical effect of these statistics? How do they contextualize the novel’s events?