The Pianist And The Pianist

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Europa Europa and The Pianist are both amazing stories of survival from the Holocaust. In both these remarkable stories, the main character stays true to himself in times of struggle: in Europa Europa Solomon Perel struggles with his identity as a Jew and in The Pianist it is Wladyslaw Szpilman staying true to his identity as a musician that saves him. These movies are both hopeful stories that tell amazing stories of not only survival but of identity.
Europa Europa is the amazing story of Solomon Perel, a young Jewish boy, who overcomes incredible circumstances during the Holocaust. He is separated from his family and ends up in a Soviet orphanage in Grondo when Germany attacks Russia. When he is discovered by Nazi soldiers he hides his identity and spends the rest of the war pretending to be a German among the Nazis named Josef Peters. Solomon does well everywhere he goes, easily adapting to whatever situation he finds himself in. Living as a Jew hidden in the Nazi world, Solomon’s story gives one a chance to examine his hardships as a young man: of course his survival is a continuous worry, but he is able to focus on other issues that many people in the Holocaust did not have a chance to face because their sole focus was to survive and Solomon was able to also face other issues.
Sex was a big theme explored in Europa Europa, Solomon Perel is an …show more content…

Both are driven by their need to survive, but they have very different experiences. Once Solomon is forced to leave the orphanage in Russia, he is cut off from his family and his entire identity, and only carries on because his mother told him he must survive before he left her. Contrastly, Wladyslaw Szpilman keeps his focus on keeping his family alive, and spends his time doing all he can to ensure their survival. He only carries on after they 're taken on a train out of the ghetto because he believes it is God 's will he

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