Uniqueness In Life Is Beautiful

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Recommended: Effects of the Holocaust on survivors

The mind is such a beautiful part of the body that wills us to endure and survive even in the harshest circumstances. This willpower of the human mind was especially put to the test by the victims of the Holocaust. This was evident through their sufferings, while prisoners in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. In addition to the majority of prisoners not being able to escape death, their desire to survive also faded in time. Both survivor Victor Frankl and fictional character Guido Oreface found reasons to persevere while in confinement. Neither man could control what happened in his life; whether actual life or in the fictional rendering. Yet each man, through his strength of mind was able to control his feelings and will to survive. …show more content…

Unlike the other prisoners in the camp, Guido uniqueness shows by his ability to use a perfect mixture of will, humor and imagination which protected his son from the dangers in their camp. At the beginning of the film Life is Beautiful, Guido’s friend tells him, “With willpower, you can do anything.” Guido took that to heart and lived his life accordingly. His mentality that he could not change what was happening to him did not affect his willpower to save his life and the lives of those he loved. The fear of losing his life or that tomorrow may not come, did not seem to affect Guido’s determination to survive. Unlike many of the prisoners surrounding him who had given up hopes of survival, Guido pranced around the camp with his genuine smile and liveliness about himself. His positive expression and attitude is what afforded him the ability to maintain a functional life. It also gave him, as a father in camp, the presence of mind to be positive for his son despite the tragedies around him. His family and his unique way of living kept him safe when others failed. He knew that at any moment he or his loved ones could be sent to the gas chamber, but this did not change his outward disposition. Guido’s refusal to let the uncertainty of life and death dictate how he lived his days in the concentration camp gave him an even deeper meaning of life. He had an extraordinary way of keeping his son 's innocence, even in these horrible conditions about the

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