Annie Groth
IB TOK bl. 5
Ms. Hunt
Does the movie Sophie’s Choice (1982) have a moral vision? Should art be moral?
If
a “moral” choice is defined as one that forces people to choose between what is
neither wrong nor right, then how can we justify which option to pick? Such is
the case in Sophie’s Choice, a movie
which explores the theme of morality through the main character’s decision of
which child she will spare in a concentration camp in Nazi Poland. Whether the
film has a “moral vision” will be interpreted as if it explores morality, but
not necessarily that it defines what is the best kind of morals to have. While
Sophie’s decision can be primarily analyzed through the area of knowledge of
ethics, history and art also play an important role in the film and so will be
further explored.
While at first ethics
may seem like the clear area to turn to in making a moral decision, there are
so many different views of morality by philosophers that in the end they make
it harder to decide. For example, John Stuart Mill, with his utilitarian view, would argue
that it would not matter which child Sophie chose to save, as long as she
decided against not making a decision and both would die instead of one.
However, it can be argues that this first moral decision, of saving one child or
none, is easy for Sophie because she wants one of her children alive. The movie
shows then moral vision that, to some extent, doing what is moral is not doing
what is fair. Otherwise, Sophie would
have chosen the option of equal treatment for her kids and let both die. Sophie
decides then to turn to logic and bases herself on the assumption of which
child would actually survive, because sending one to the children’s
concentration camp would not necessarily mean they would not end up dying there
anyways. She chooses the boy, who is older and so has more chances of survival,
and morality was defined using circumstance and logic for Sophie.
History
and art are also used to portray the writer’s and director’s moral vision.
Given the context of the story—Nazi Poland—there are moral implications that
are historically acknowledged that what the Nazi’s did was gruesome, inhumane,
and unethical. Had it not been for this historical setting, Sophie might have
never been forced to make a decision. History can then play an important role
in morality because it can provide the decision with context. Though perhaps the author could have used any situation which violated human rights, it is
hard to compare one to what it was like in an Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration
camp because of the choices it forced people to make. Sophie’s Choice author, William Styron, and later the movie’s
director, Alan J. Pakula, were using history as an artistic choice. Using
flashbacks, they chose to set the story both in present-time 1979 in the United
States and past-time 1940 Poland. The contrast between the two time frames
shows how Sophie’s decision had long-lasting effects on her as she later
committed suicide, even though she was only forced to make a decision because
of the historical context she was placed in. Artistically, this was done
through images of both settings, and also choosing to portray the more positive
ones (in the U.S) first then the negative ones (in Poland) to further shock the
viewers. The initial artistic image of Sophie was more relatable to viewers, a
healthy, romantic and enthusiastic girl living in New York. Her past history
though makes viewers surprised and uncomfortable, with Sophie being shown as
skeletal, hair-less, and desperate. These artistic choices, which used History,
enhanced the movie’s moral vision, portraying the context of Sophie’s ethical
decision.
Though
it is clear Sophie’s Choice has a
moral vision, a different question arises of whether art should be moral. In
this case, the movie shows how art can be moral but to generalize that all art
should also be more is, in my opinion, not appropriate. Determining art should
have a moral element would limit art, such that many things would not be
produced. For example, my classmate Alejandro Torres showed us a painting he
made of hanging organs and explained they represented his identity. His piece
did not have a moral vision, rather, it was an abstract interpretation of
himself. He did not have any need or use in having to morally justify himself
to others and if he did, that would have changed the meaning of his work.
However, the moral element to Sophie’s
Choice is vital in the movie, otherwise without it the plot would also be
completely different. Just as a moral choice depends on various things such as
ethics and history, so should art depend on each individual’s use of knowledge.
