Oskar Schindler - a Not-So-Super Hero

A not-so-super hero

Oskar Schindler, an atypical Nazi during the holocaust and Anuradha Koirala, an abused and divorced Nepalese woman have stepped out of the ordinary into the extraordinary to prove that heroes don’t have to have superpowers, all it takes is one courageous act.  Bridie Imeson from Brisbane investigates…

From the beginning of time, human kind has longed for a hero. From this yearning the archetypal hero was conceived.

The archetypal hero is described as a European man of remarkable strength, bravery and cunning skills, one who saves others by performing extraordinary selfless feats which then completes the classic monomyth. In contrast to this, there are heroes who are not necessarily males with herculean strength that save damsels in distress. It only takes one ordinary person, one hero without superpowers to make a real difference in people’s lives.

Ordinary heroes are selfless, determined and persistent such as Oskar Schindler, responsible for saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the holocaust, and Anuradha Koirala a contemporary hero much like Schindler, who saved the lives of thousands. These two ordinary people certainly stand in defiance against the archetypal hero.

Schindler demonstrates in order to be a hero, you don't need to be sexy, strong or born from the Gods, all a hero needs to posses as Campbell’s archetypal hero describes, is the courage to cross the threshold between the ordinary world and answers the call of adventure (Campbell, 1949). Spielberg captures this beautifully in his 1993 film, Schindler’s List.

In this film he initially depicts Schindler to be a womanizer and a selfish war profiteer who after being confronted with the realities of the holocaust transformed into the selfless man he is now rebound for. The transformation was triggered by the removal of Schindler’s accountant, Itzhak Stern. This positions viewers to associate Schindler with the reluctant hero as it took him time to reach the threshold where he distinguished himself in society to fight for those who were powerless.

Schindler is responsible for the saving of 1,200 Polish Jews during the Holocaust. Schindler had the courage to go against the prejudiced opinions, which were rife in his society. As a result of the transformation he made throughout the film, Spielberg uses cinematic techniques to reinforce what constitutes his heroic behaviour. Spielberg’s use of foregrounding and low angles to depict Schindler as a superior and egotistical man at the beginning of the film but are soon replaced by close up visuals that position the viewer to feel empathy for and witness Schindler’s change of conscious.

Like Schindler, Anuradha Koirala is a modern day hero. Koirala originally an English teacher in Nepal was abused by her husband due to her infertility and was forced into a divorce. This was the moment, like Schindler, where she crossed the threshold, where she found courage to make a change.  This woman was completely ordinary, yet she saw an injustice in her society and felt compelled to make a difference.

For months Koirala saved a portion of her $100 salary to purchase a shop to employ and support women who have been involved with human trafficking. It wasn't until the early 90’s that she became the founder of Maiti Nepal, a foundation to support victims of sex trafficking and domestic violence. To provide an insight on the trade, in Nepal girls as young as the age of 6 are at risk to being trafficked across the border to India for sexual prostitution.