Guido's Journey In The Film Life Is Beautiful

In Benigni’s cathartic film, Life is Beautiful, Guido helps his son survive the inhumanity of the concentration camp through his eternal optimism and ingenuity.
Throughout the film, Guido exercises his tremendous optimism in attempt to help his son through the concentration camp. Guido is able to overcome the reality of what is happening in the camp and focus on how his son perceives the experience. It is obvious that his son is not fully aware of what is taking place, meaning Guido has room to be creative with his gestures. He asks his son: “You've never ridden on a train, have you? They're fantastic! Everybody stands up, close together, and there are no seats!” (Guido). Optimistically, Guido is able to fabricate an idea that the situation
He is able to cleverly construct a game, referencing the gain of points, the loss of points, and an end prize. This is done to distract his son and imbed an alternative to the reality of the camp in his mind. He explains the point system, saying that “There are three ways to lose points. One, turning into a big crybaby...” (Guido). Significantly, the fear of losing point and not winning the tank, or prize, diverts his son’s attention from the harshness and brutality happening around him. Guido’s creative nature proceeds to impact not only his son, but his wife and the people around him. He is able to seize the opportunity to relate and connect with his son, while still following his ingenuity and story. He tells his son: “You are such a good boy. You sleep now. Dream sweet dreams. Maybe we are both dreaming” (Guido). He does so to let his son know that he is not alone; that they are both here to celebrate his birthday and win the prize. When Guido refers to this dream, he is using an escape tactic when they faced the worst adversity. Evidently, Guido is able to use his ingenuity to create a game for his son, helping him survive the concentration