Empathy In The Pianist

To be empathetic is to be able to put yourself in another person’s shoes, in order to truly experience another person’s feelings, thoughts, and perspective. Empathy teaches us core values that allow us to develop these different perspectives, in order, to view things in a deeper meaning, as well as, strengthen the relationship we have with reality. In “The Pianist,” Roman Polanski shines a new light on the Jewish men and women who were able to stay in hiding, but had to continue to survive for their lives throughout World War II. Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jew who survived five years in the Warsaw ghetto, came in contact with a German Nazi Officer by the name of Wilhelm Hosenfeld. Hosenfeld helped Szpilman survive the Holocaust through hiding in the attic of his headquarters. When Hosenfeld and Szpilman first met, Szpilman was eagerly trying to open a can of pickle juice. The pickle juice was his only source of food and it had accidentally fallen from the fireplace shelf and rolled towards the feet of German solider, Hosenfeld. Instead of reporting or torturing the Jew, Hosenfeld simply asked him of his occupation. Surprised of Szpilman’s reply that he is a pianist, he

In the scene where the German soliders were being held captive by the Russians, Hosenfeld was among those solider’s. He appeared to be wounded and disheveled, he overheard two Polish Jews speaking of a musician. He eagerly asked if they knew Szpilman and begged the Pole to ask Szpilman for help. Later on, Szpilman and the Polish man returned to the location where the Germans were being held captive, but unfortunately, the Germans had been removed. This scene show’s Szpilmans’ empathy because, although Hosenfeld helped him tremendously, he of all people, knew how dreadful it is to try to survive in captivity. He wanted to help Hosenfeld survive just like Hosenfeld did for