Life Is Beautiful vs. Night: Week of 4/13

Based on the Holocaust literature and poetry we have read, what connections can be made between Life is Beautiful and our reading?  What events, scenes, or situations are similar or different? What is similar or different about the mood or tone of the pieces?

How is life shown as beautiful throughout the film. Pull out at least two examples from different parts of the film and explain your rationale.

     Throughout both Life is Beautiful  and Night, an abundance of connections may be made between both the media and the novel. These similarities may be categorized between the physical examples and the ones perceived by the audience. For example, throughout Night there is a strong focus on the bond between father and son. In Night Ellie and his father have a nearly identical relationship as to the one that Guido and Joshua maintain in Life is Beautiful. The role this father-son remains to be one of the most important, due to the fact that through this bond, the main characters survive. As Guido takes the steps to protect young Joshua's innocence he starts a game and is always sure to feed him extra food he may come across by. This relationship is nearly identical to that between Elie and his father, except in reverse as Elie attempts to find extra nourishment for the older Wiesel. 

     Despite the emotional connections between the characters of both sources, there is also a difference in tone and mood portrayed through both movies. Night contains a rather melancholic tone and a never ending feeling of depression. This shown through Elie's loss of faith and the loss of innocence as he faces the unthinkable. In contrast, Life is Beautiful offers a bittersweet tone with an occasional touch of appropriate humor. This is also shown by the different thinking among characters, for example Elie Wiesel believes, "Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere." Yet, Uncle Leo seems to believe the complete opposite as he states, "Silence is the most powerful cry." The ideas portrayed in the movie such as the protection of innocence and the power of silence is a stark difference to that offered to us by Wiesel. In several way, it seems that Wiesel has given up on the person he used to be and embraced the new character he has gained. Guido, seems to be an exact foil of Elie. Guido fights the change that may overtake him in order to protect the things he cares more about than himself, his family.

     The difficulty to maintain life beautiful throughout one the possibly the darkest of moments in our history, seems to be one of the most impossible things to occur. Despite this, Guido constantly strives, throughout the film to better life for his son, wife, and others around him. In the beginning of the film, we quickly witness the joy that falling in love with Dora has caused for Guido. We are able to view the upside that has been brought by a series of surprises and the power of will, as demonstrated through "surprising feats" acted out by Guido himself. As the film continues on, for some, life does not continue to be beautiful once he is in the camps with Joshua.  Despite this notion, I feel that this is when the beauty has truly begun. The fact that a father is willing to protect his son and able to make an evil into a game in which he can possibly win, is truly amazing. A bond between father and son so strong that despite leading him to his demise is his ultimate goal. One must be able to surpass the death of Guido and focus on the joy of a child that has been brought through sacrifice. In truth, I feel that Guido understood his chances of survival, in spite of this he was willing to love and care for his son more than he ever did himself. This self-sacrifice allowed one of Joshua's greatest wishes to come true, a tank, thanks to his father. Guido, from the beginning and up until the end was an optimist in the darkest of times, this certain faith and will is what truly makes life beautiful.