In Chapter 9, Oskar's old motorcycle-riding friends push him toward a reconciliation with his father, even as Oskar can't bring himself to give up his mistresses and bring his wife to Cracow to live with him. He's also begun to be inconvenienced by the number of his workers being press-ganged each day to shovel snow or perform other menial tasks. Oskar originally saw his father as a larger-than-life figure, but when he finally spoke with him, Keneally says, "so Oskar decided that even Herr Hans Schindler was human." Describe how you think these things mirror each other, showing us the development in the story of Oskar Schindler as a more well-rounded person, allowing us to understand some possible motivation behind the risks he would eventually take.

Essay Topic 2

Chapters 26-30 are full of powerful imagery: the courtship of Rebecca and Josef even as new fences are being built, the smoke of the crematoria in the country air, and the ever-increasing burdens that Schindler has to overcome to keep his Jewish workers safe. We're also more than halfway through the book. Examine the imagery in this section of the book, as well as its placement in the plot line and with the story development. What changes do we see in Schindler from chapter 26 to chapter 30? What techniques and story details does Keneally use to avoid the "sagging middle" here? Write at least one page answering the above questions, and cite at least three specific examples from within these chapters in your essay.

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 15, Keneally contrasts a scene of brutal killing against a scene of Red Genia's survival. Describe your thoughts not only on the scenes themselves, but why Keneally juxtaposed them together in this way.

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