Sophie's_Choice(S)

In life, one will make countless choices that determine the course life follows. Minor or major, some choices may change one’s life. Sophie’s Choice portrays just how significant certain decisions can be. Holocaust survivor, Sophie, is forced to make a lifetime tormenting choice in Auschwitz between her two young children. Nathan, Sophie’s lover, is equally distressed by his emotional and mental issues which manipulate the choices he makes. Stingo, although young, makes life changing decisions when moving to Brooklyn. The choices made by these characters determine their relationships and what will happen to them. Sophie must choose which of her children will live or die upon her arrival in Auschwitz. The officer explains to her that she is being given a privilege and if she does not decide, both of her children will die. Panicked, Sophie has her young daughter, Eva, taken to the gas chambers. Like any mother, Sophie would die in the place of her child but given the circumstance, Eva was in a sense, the closest thing to herself. The mirror image created between Eva and Sophie is crucial to understanding the root of Sophie’s destructive persona. Eva is portrayed as a spitting image of Sophie which is why Jan is selected to survive over her. Sophie’s choice to send Eva away represents her own emotional death because her daughter is a mirror image of herself. Stingo, arriving in Brooklyn, is a not a boy, not yet a man aspiring to write the next great American novel based on his life and experiences. Naive and untouched by the harshness of the city, he moves into the boarding house and meets Sophie and Nathan. He quickly begins to notice the dysfunction between the two lovers which becomes a concern of his own wellbeing. Despite the dysfunction, Stingo is infatuated with Sophie and in a sense is bound by his attachment to her. This relationship also created another crucial choice for Sophie to make because of her newfound connection with Stingo. Stingo is a young Southern gentleman who views Sophie as his perfect woman, Nathan loves her; although, verbally and physically abuses her. It is obvious near the end of the film that Sophie is conflicted but soon realizes she must be with Nathan. Stingo’s fascination with Sophie can be interpreted as sexually romantic but it concludes to be maternal. The idea of losing Sophie mirrors his experience of losing his mother at the age of 12; also, for Sophie, losing Stingo mirrors losing her 10 year old son during the holocaust. By mirroring the tragedy of losing kin, Stingo and Sophie’s relationship is established by a close bond. Nathan and Sophie make the decision to commit suicide together. After confessing the secrets of her dark past to Stingo and sleeping together, Sophie leaves in the night and returns to Nathan. Haunted by terrible memories and guilt, Sophie and her equally unhinged lover free themselves of their inner demons through death. When the couple is found dead, Stingo reads Emily Dickinson’s “Ample Make This Bed” as a eulogy. This particular poem addresses death, rebirth, and most importantly, hope for salvation: themes that relate to Sophie and Nathan’s life. The bed is an extremely relevant motif to the pattern Sophie’s life follows. She is nursed back to health by Nathan and given a new life (rebirth) when she immigrates to the US. Dying in the bed embracing Nathan is a representation of the freeing of their guilt and the prospect of redemption. Every choice made in life will change who one is. Sophie is forced to make a choice between her children and chooses to have her daughter taken away. Sophie’s daughter, Eva, is a mirror image of herself and when she is sent to her death, Sophie also dies on the inside. There is also a lot of conflict surrounding Sophie’s choice to stay with Nathan or be with Stingo. In the end, Sophie rejects Stingo’s proposition of starting a new life together and returns to Nathan. Tortured by guilt and memories, Sophie also makes another major decision with Nathan who is also haunted by his issues. The bed and the poem “Ample Make This Bed” represents how death sets them free from their afflictions. Stingo moves to Brooklyn and is exposed to the extreme dysfunction of his friends which becomes a hazard to him. Given an opportunity to leave, Stingo does not because he is connected to Sophie romantically and by the similar experience they share. Sophie’s Choice portrays how all the choices that are made are what determines who one is and what will become of them.