The Pianist Essay Questions

How does Szpilman escape getting on the trains to the death camp?

Szpilman is walking to the death camp trains with his family, but just before he gets on he is thrown to the ground by the same police officer that set his brother free from an incident previously, Itzak Heller. He attempts to return to his family but the officer throws him to the ground and tells him he's saving his life. Szpilman must walk away and leave his family behind and survive on his own now.

Why does Hosenfeld spare Szpilman's life?

It is unclear exactly what goes through Hosenfeld's mind when he meets Szpilman, and we do not know his ideological history. However, when he hears Szpilman play the piano, he is compelled to save his life, even though he is a Nazi and Szpilman is Jewish. This moment suggests that it is Szpilman's musical ability that spares him.

How does Szpilman keep his spirit alive during the film?

Szpilman endures some horrible experiences throughout the film, and must focus mainly on surviving physically and hiding from the Nazis. However, we also get a glimpse into the ways that he stays motivated in a more psychological sense, when we see him pretending to play the piano at various junctures. While he must remain silent while living in an apartment with a piano, he pretends as if he is playing it and we hear the music he wants to be making in his head. Music is what keeps Szpilman going, even in the darkest of times.

How is the end of the film similar to the beginning?

By the end of the film, Szpilman has returned to Polish society and is once again an acclaimed concert pianist, playing for an audience. He wears a fine tuxedo and is treated with respect by the people who come to see him. This mirrors the first scene in the film, in which Szpilman is playing piano in the studio, and he is established as a famous Polish pianist. In between the beginning and the end, Szpilman endures unimaginable horrors, and only the viewer has been privy to all of the difficulty that separates the opening sequence from the ending.

What is ironic about the moment when Szpilman gets rescued by the Russian and Polish army?

The moment in which Szpilman is discovered in Warsaw by the Allied forces is ironic because he is wearing a Nazi jacket given to him by Hosenfeld. As a result, the soldiers shoot at him, thinking that he is a German, when in fact he is a Polish Jew who has been subjected to the terrorism of the Nazis throughout the film. It would be highly ironic and tragic if he were to die at the hands of the people who have come to Warsaw to help him.