Book Review: Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally

Introduction

Thomas Keneally’s Schindler’s List (1982) tells the extraordinary true story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist and member of the Nazi Party who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust.

Blending historical research with novelistic narrative, Keneally crafts a portrait of moral complexity: a flawed man who profits from war yet risks everything to protect the innocent. The novel, which won the Booker Prize in 1982, remains one of the most powerful explorations of humanity in the face of evil — and a crucial text for understanding both history and moral responsibility.

Plot Summary

At the outset of World War II, Oskar Schindler is a charming, ambitious businessman who sees opportunity in chaos. A member of the Nazi Party, he moves to occupied Kraków, Poland, to profit from the confiscated property of Jews. Using bribes and connections, Schindler takes over an enamelware factory, Deutsche Emailwarenfabrik (DEF), staffed by Jewish laborers supplied through the Nazi labor office.

Initially motivated by profit, Schindler exploits cheap Jewish labor and cultivates friendships with Nazi officials such as Amon Goeth, the brutal commandant of the nearby Plaszów concentration camp. Goeth embodies unrestrained sadism and is one of the novel’s darkest figures.

As Schindler witnesses the systematic extermination of Jews — including the liquidation of the Kraków ghetto — he undergoes a profound transformation. His workers, once a source of profit, become his responsibility and, ultimately, his mission.

Schindler begins falsifying records, bribing officers, and manipulating bureaucratic loopholes to protect his Jewish employees. When Goeth’s cruelty intensifies, Schindler uses his influence to shield his workers from deportation and death.

In 1944, as the Nazis begin shutting down camps and transporting prisoners to Auschwitz, Schindler compiles “the list” — a roster of 1,100 Jewish men and women he claims are essential for his new factory in Brünnlitz, Czechoslovakia. This list becomes a literal and symbolic lifeline, representing the fragile hope of survival amid the machinery of genocide.

After the war, Schindler is bankrupt and forced to flee to the West. Yet the people he saved — known as the “Schindlerjuden” — remain a living testament to his courage. The novel closes with an account of Schindler’s later life and death in 1974, when many of his survivors attended his funeral in Jerusalem.

Themes

1. The Duality of Human Nature

Keneally’s Schindler is a paradox — a hedonistic businessman, opportunist, and womanizer who becomes a moral hero. The novel suggests that goodness can arise from imperfection and that redemption is possible even in the darkest times.

2. Bureaucracy and Evil

The Holocaust, as depicted by Keneally, functions through paperwork, hierarchy, and chilling efficiency. The Nazi system turns murder into administration — a stark warning about dehumanization through bureaucracy.

3. Moral Courage and Responsibility

Schindler’s transformation embodies the power of individual conscience. His defiance proves that moral action is possible even within systems of total evil.

4. The Banality of Evil

Figures like Amon Goeth represent everyday cruelty institutionalized. Goeth’s casual murders and sadism show how ordinary people, when given power, can commit unspeakable atrocities.

5. Memory and Bearing Witness

Keneally’s detailed documentation of real events turns the novel into both history and moral record. The act of remembering — of preserving names — resists the Nazi goal of erasing identity.

Character Analysis

Oskar Schindler

A complex antihero whose moral awakening defines the novel. Schindler’s initial greed and opportunism give way to compassion and sacrifice. His contradictions — luxury amid horror, selfishness amid selflessness — make him profoundly human.

Amon Goeth

The sadistic commandant of Plaszów. Goeth personifies the monstrous side of humanity, reveling in violence and power. His friendship with Schindler creates a disturbing mirror — two men using the same system in radically different ways.

Itzhak Stern

Schindler’s Jewish accountant and moral anchor. Stern recognizes Schindler’s potential for good early on and helps channel his actions toward saving lives.

Emilie Schindler

Oskar’s wife, often overlooked, who quietly supports his efforts despite his infidelities. Her compassion and moral strength balance Schindler’s flaws.

The Schindlerjuden

The rescued workers represent the resilience and dignity of the Jewish people. Their survival is both a miracle and a reminder of the millions who did not escape.

Style and Structure

Keneally’s writing blends historical accuracy with novelistic depth. His tone is restrained, avoiding melodrama — the horror speaks for itself. The narrative alternates between personal stories and historical overview, creating both intimacy and scope.

His use of documentary detail — real names, dates, and testimonies — blurs the line between history and fiction, grounding the novel in truth while giving it emotional immediacy.

Symbolism

• The List: The central symbol of the novel. It represents life, memory, and moral salvation — a fragile document that stands against the machinery of death.
• The Factory: Initially a site of exploitation, it becomes a sanctuary, a symbol of redemption and human decency.
• Goeth’s Balcony: Symbolizes absolute power and moral blindness — Goeth casually kills from it as if life were meaningless.
• Money and Bribery: In Schindler’s hands, corruption becomes a tool for good — illustrating moral ambiguity in desperate times.

Why Schindler’s List Still Matters

The novel continues to resonate because it transforms statistics into human stories. Keneally shows that history’s greatest horror was carried out by individuals — and resisted by individuals.

In an age where genocide and moral indifference still persist, Schindler’s List reminds readers of the responsibility to act. Schindler’s courage demonstrates that one person can indeed make a difference, even when the world seems lost.

Homework Questions & Answers

Q1: Why is Oskar Schindler considered a “flawed hero”?
A1: Schindler is not a saint but an imperfect man who evolves morally. His flaws — greed, vanity, and indulgence — make his heroism more believable and human.

Q2: What does the list symbolize?
A2: The list represents life and remembrance. In a system designed to erase people, writing their names becomes an act of defiance and immortality.

Q3: How does Keneally portray evil in the novel?
A3: Evil is shown as both systemic and personal. Bureaucracy enables genocide, while individuals like Goeth embody cruelty without conscience.

Q4: What is the significance of Schindler’s transformation?
A4: His journey from opportunist to savior reflects the possibility of moral awakening even in corrupt systems. His redemption offers hope amid despair.

Q5: How does Schindler’s List compare to other Holocaust literature like Night?
A5: While Night offers a personal witness to suffering, Schindler’s List examines moral action within atrocity. Together, they show both the depths of evil and the heights of human compassion.

Conclusion

Schindler’s List is a testament to the endurance of morality in the face of absolute evil. Through Oskar Schindler’s transformation, Thomas Keneally captures the profound complexity of human nature — how light and darkness coexist within the same soul.

The novel reminds readers that heroism is not perfection but the choice to act when others remain silent. In preserving life and memory, Schindler becomes both savior and symbol, proving that compassion can outlast cruelty.

As Wiesel wrote of the Holocaust, “For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.” Schindler’s List fulfills that command — an unforgettable narrative of redemption amid humanity’s darkest hour.