Character Analysis #1

Schindlers List (director: Steven Allan Spielberg)

Release Date: February 4, 1994

Genre: Historical Drama/Historical Fiction

In his film, Schindlers List, director Steven Spielberg recounts the historical events of WWII with specific reference to Oskar Schindler and how he managed to save 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories in occupied Poland and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

During the movie, we are introduced to Amon Göth who was an Austrian Nazi during WWII. Göth is played by English actor, Ralph Fiennes. Amon Göth is infamously known for killing more than 10,000 people in the Plaszow and Szebnie camps and in the Kraków and Tarnów ghettos. Although he did kill prisoners for infractions, he also enjoyed killing randomly. Historically accurate accounts describe Göth as regularly partaking in "target practice" with his rifle on prisoners from the balcony of his villa. One report even mentions how he killed a Jewish dog handler because the dogs preferred the handlers company to his own.

Because of this mans atrocious crimes, like many Nazi's during WWII, we are often left to question how a human being can randomly and capriciously inflict pain on another human being. In relation to Amon Göth, we must explore the likely possibility of him being classified as having antisocial personality disorders, previously known as psychopathy or sociopathy. 

Simply put, antisocial personality disorder is characterized by having a disregard for other people. Individuals with this mental disorder tend to antagonize, manipulate or treat others harshly or with callous indifference. They demonstrate no guilt or remorse for their behavior. Amon Göth definitely falls into this category. In the following paragraphs, I will present evidence of Amon Göth and how he aligns with various symptoms for this disorder.

Lack of empathy for others and lack of remorse about harming others:

Amon Goeth : Oskar, there's a clerical error here at the bottom of the last page.

Oskar Schindler : No, there's one more name I want to put there. I'll never find a maid as well trained as her at Brinnlitz. They are all country girls.

Amon Goeth : [referring to Helen]  No. No.

Oskar Schindler : One hand of 21. If you win, I pay you 7400 Reichmarks. Hit a natural and I make it 14800. If I win, the girl goes on my list.

Amon Goeth : I can't wager Helen in a card game.

Oskar Schindler : Why not?

Amon Goeth : Wouldn't be right.

Oskar Schindler : She's going to Auschwitz on Number Two anyway. What difference does it make?

Amon Goeth : She's not going to Auschwitz. I'd never do that to her. No, I want her to come back to Vienna with me. I want her to come to work for me there. I want to grow old with her.

Oskar Schindler : Are you mad? Amon, you can't take her to Vienna with you.

Amon Goeth : No, of course I can't. That's what I'd like to do. What I can do, if I'm any sort of a man, is the next most merciful thing. I should take her into the woods and shoot her painlessly in the back of the head. What was it you said for a natural 21? Was it 14800?

Here, we can clearly see that Göth clearly has no empathy for Helen or what happens to her. He was willing to wager her in a card game, though he was reluctant to do so at the beginning not due to his compassion towards her, but toward his lack of compassion toward her.

 Aggression toward people and animals:

This is our first scene with Göth within the movie. From the very beginning we see that he is a man that lacks empathy. Starting at 1:25, we see how he mercilessly kills the Jewish woman who was trying to do her job. We can notice how the other Nazi members were even surprised at his command to murder the woman. On of the Nazi's even tries to reason with him by saying "Sir, she's forman of construction." This is one of the many examples of Göth's lack of empathy throughout the movie.

Repeatedly violating the rights of others through intimidation and/or dishonesty:

Here, we can see how Göth is intimidating Helen and assaulting her. In the movie, Göth's interactions with Helen are one of the most clear examples of his abuse of power (although you can see this throughout the film). He uses Helen for his own enjoyment and dangles freedom in front of her even though he has no intent of ever actually letting her survive the war. He has no motive to treat her, or rather anyone in the way he does, however, he does so for himself. 

Another aspect to notice here is that although he does physically assault her, he does so in an almost calm manner. Psychopaths differ from sociopaths in one way in which they carry out crimes or violence. Sociopaths tend to inflict violence upon other or commit crimes in a distressed manner, while psychopaths tend to do so calmly. Göth does not look distressed at all in this scene, rather he seems to just be carrying out the act of violence against Helen without any signs of distress.