The concept of belonging illustrates the physical and spiritual concerns of the human condition.
These Notions of belonging manifest vividly in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, Skrzynecki’s Postcard and Ancestors, as well as Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi. When these two elements fuse, it creates a complex and ambivalent balance in which one either suffers or is enlightened. Skrzynecki’s Postcard encapsulates physical dislocation. He cleverly uses the postcard as a symbol of this.
When Skrzynecki personifies the town, “I never knew you except in the third person,” he is referring to “Warsaw. ” Yet, his melancholy tone is supplemented with the second person pronoun “you,” which shows his innate desire to connect with the city. This is further emphasised with his rhetorical question, “what more do you want besides the gift of despair? ” Evidently, Skrzynecki experiences physical and psychological alienation, as he imagines this through the postcard, adding to an imbalance and hindering his sense of belonging. Contrastingly, Schindler's List also characterizes belonging.
The film is set in World War Two, following a German businessman’s (Oskar Schindler’s) changing emotions towards a Jewish community; evidently the protagonist initially has a physical association with his country. When his Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern inquires, “They put up all the money. I do all the work. What, if you don’t my asking, would you do? ” Schindler contemptuously replies, “I’d see that it had a certain panache. That’s what I’m good at.
Not the work, not the work,” which was the conventional mindset, showing that he had accepted aspects of Nazi Germany.However, at a metaphysical level this connection is not evident. Spielberg shows this by fixating the camera on Schindler’s horrified eyes as he witnesses the slaughtering of Jews. Consequently, he fails to balance the physical and spiritual and therefore suffers.
Nevertheless, Skrzynecki’s illustration of spiritual dislocation within Ancestors is equally prominent. The aural image “Who are those shadows that hang over you…what secrets do they whisper into the darkness? ” creates a foreboding tone for how he felt about his past.By combining reality and illusion, Skrzynecki emphasises the effect his ancestors have on him. Yet, when he reverts to second person “why do you wake as their faces become clearer,” the pronoun ‘you’ distances himself from his past, family and roots, which is similar to his reaction in Postcard, “I stare at the photograph and refuse to answer the voices. ” Thus, his distance from his ancestors generates emotional imbalance. In contrast to Skrzynecki, Martel amalgamates Piscine Patel’s (Pi’s) physical and spiritual notions of belonging to create a balance.
Life of Pi tells the remarkable journey of Pi’s physical survival with a Bengal Tiger (Richard Parker), and Pi’s spiritual enlightenment through contemplation of religion. When Pi passionately cries, "All religions are true. I just want to love God! ” This unorthodox prose shows that the text transcends religious boundaries, expressing Pi’s association with the spiritual dimension as a whole. His unique sense of belonging permeates his psyche “I thought of my family of how they were spared this terrible agony…God would remain, a shining point of light in my heart.In this instance, God is a symbol of all religions, which furthers Pi’s sense of happiness and stoicism because rather then questioning religious validity, he accepts all of them, thus alleviates bitter feelings. However, Skrzynecki retains the antithesis.
Although, he expresses physical and spiritual dislodgment within Ancestors and Postcard, he combines them to divulge a truly imbalanced belonging. The way he cleverly articulates the metaphysical through personification in Postcard, “A lone tree whisper[s](ing) ‘we will meet before you die,’” clarifies his bewilderment.Despite being resistant to his past, inevitably he will need to understand it, else he will continue to suffer, much like his persistent image of “bearded faceless men” in Ancestors and “A post card … haunts me,” in Postcard. Therefore, Skrzynecki must address both sides of his detachment to his past, to form balance to feel content. Pi’s association with the supernatural dimension also transforms into a physical link.
When Richard Parker was initially rescued by Pi, he devoured all the animals on the boat.Pi later reveals he perhaps was Richard Parker and the animals on his boat were humans, by altering his tale, “(Pi) was rapidly losing strength (Pi) wouldn’t have made it if the cook hadn’t thrown (him) a lifebuoy. ” The tiger’s point of view is replaced with Pi’s and the cook reveals the presence of humans, which creates ambivalence of the tiger’s existence. Regardless if Pi had conjured the tiger, it allowed him to either relieve his conscience, of cannibalism and murder or maintains his sanity, “Richard Parker who calmed me …he brought me peace, purpose, I dare say even wholeness.
It is evident tangible bonds may be conjured from spiritual needs.Thus, Pi blends notions of belonging, permitting him to achieve balance, which is also achieved by Oskar Schindler. Schindler’s genuine physical attachment, not to Germany rather his Jewish community, gives him satisfaction and purpose. When his perspective is transferred, his connection grows swiftly. Schindler owned a factory staffed by Jewish workers and any unproductiveness was awarded with severe punishment.
So it is reasonable when he inquires to Stern “By the way... Didn't you notice that man only had one arm? Then, whilst Schindler drives away, Stern cries “Very useful! Success! ” regarding the maimed worker.Schindler is then seen with a reluctant acceptance on his face, because rather then allowing German soldiers to kill the worker he accepts him, in turn accepts all his Jewish workers.
As the film progresses his connection grows with his community, until the climax, when Itzhak Stern emotively states “from the Talmud. It says, whoever saves one life, saves the world entire,” revealing Schindler’s spiritual affiliation has overcome ideological divides in acceptance of the Jews.In this way, Schindler maintains a balance between both conceptions of belonging and feels satisfaction and gratitude. The aspect of belonging is transcendent, leading to either human suffering or enlightenment. If one finds an imbalance between the spiritual and physical facets, as expressed by Skrzynecki and initially Oskar Schindler, then one will become confused and unsatisfied.
Conversely, if one balances both elements of belonging, shown through Piscine Patel and Oskar Schindler, then one will have harmonious emotions of wholeness, fulfillment and tolerance.
