Sophie's Choice

Stingo pauses in his narration to talk about an episode from Sophie’s youthful past. In 1937, a German industrialist named Dürrfeld comes to visit Cracow. Sophie’s father is delighted to conduct Dürrfeld around the city and discuss culture and business with him. Sophie finds herself physically attracted to Dürrfeld, and he seems to show the same interest in her. She only meets him one more time in her life, at Auschwitz six years later, after he’s given control of the entire complex.

Stingo now recounts the end of his day at the beach with Sophie. They return to the neighborhood bar to talk into the late hours before her departure for her new apartment the following morning. Stingo prompts her about the loss of Eva, but Sophie has little to say other than that the child was killed on the day of her arrival at Birkenau. She quickly turns to the subject of Jan instead. Stingo observes, “The very fact that the little boy still lived, even though beyond her reach, and that she might somehow eventually get to see him was enough to sustain her through the initial phases of the nightmare” (424).

During the early days of her incarceration, Sophie receives a visit at the Höss residence from Wanda, who wants her to steal a radio. News of the outside world would make a huge difference to the rest of the prisoners at Auschwitz. Sophie bungles the theft, and Stingo speculates that Sophie is more ashamed of her inept attempt to steal the radio than she is of all her other failures during her time at the concentration camp.

The following morning, Sophie goes to Höss’ office, expecting to see Jan there. Instead, she briefly encounters Dürrfeld. He has turned into a portly, middle-aged businessman who doesn’t even recognize her. Once the industrialist leaves, Höss explains that he has decided not to bring Jan out for a visit. Sophie is furious, and Höss asks what else he can do to make things right. Sophie suggests that Jan be taken into the Lebensborn program. This is a system whereby blond, blue-eyed children from conquered countries are raised in German homes to be indoctrinated as Germans. Höss gives his word of honor that he will arrange a transfer for Jan, though Sophie suspects this never happened, and Jan later died in the camp.

Worn out by the story of Sophie’s tragedy, Stingo doesn’t urge any more confessions that night. Exhausted, the two of them walk back to Yetta’s house in the early hours of the morning. When they arrive, they find Nathan waiting on the front sidewalk. Sophie runs to him without hesitation. Stingo says, “I saw Nathan slowly sink to his knees on the hard pavement […] frozen in an attitude of devotion, or fealty, or penance, or supplication—or all of these” (452).