In the Academy Award winning film, "Schindler’s List," Oskar Schindler undergoes some dramatic changes. At the outset of the movie, Schindler is portrayed as a selfish entrepreneur, living a life of luxury and social comforts, while thriving from the profits of those who toil in his manufacturing facility. But as the story progresses, we witness a softening of his heart as he takes courageous steps to create a covert safe-haven for his many Jewish employees.
The more time Oskar Schindler spent witnessing the horrors of Nazi labor camps, the more his conscience took over. From the safety of his lineage, he saw the cold-blooded killings of Jews - young and old - and watched them suffer starvation, degradation and unprecedented abuse. As the Holocaust escalated, Schindler, with the assistance of an intelligent Jewish accountant, wrote a list with the names of hundreds of Jews. He took the list to the commander of the labor camp and demanded them, because they weren't much use to him anyhow. This is the major turning point for the character of Schindler as we see he has realized the true value of money and life. Around this time, we start seeing his heroism appear. While originally he started his factory to benefit him, he grew to love the workers and would do anything to keep them alive and healthy.
Schindler’s character is contrasted with the character of the commander of the labor camp. The contrast between the two emphasizes to the audience how admirable Schindler becomes. Both men reach positions of power because of the war and have many lives at their fingertips. The commander, after a night of drinking, eating and partying, gets out of his bed and with a smoke in his mouth, shoots Jew’s in the camp below who are simply going about the chores they have been assigned. This horrific behavior and brutality towards the Jews demonstrates how easily power can corrupt one’s mind and the commander sees the Jews as worthless. The vi...