Interpretation of Todorov

Interpretation of Todorov Todorov’s text, Facing the Extreme, defines and categorizes the idea of virtue by using real examples found in texts, poems, and diaries of survivors of the extreme times leading up to and during World War II. The heroic idealism of soldiers such as Colonel Okulicki, General Tadeusz Bor-Komorowski, and Brigadier-General Tadeusz Pelczynski is overwhelming. It is apparent that it would be harder to deter these men even than it would be …

…individual lives and the modern idea of decency. The author believes that when one’s goals and inspirations are so broad and lofty, it is difficult to see “the forest for the trees”, so to speak. Thinking only of God’s will and the grand design, one forgets the individuals for whom the grand design was made to benefit, and this was often he case in the totalitarian actions of the Nazi and Communist regimes.