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Chapter 17
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Prisoner B-3087, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Determination and Luck
Anti-Semitism and Cruelty vs. Humanity
Connection vs. Isolation
Coming of Age, Trauma, and Remembrance
Identity vs. Anonymity
Summary
Analysis
Yanek washes himself at the water pump, despite the bitter cold. He’s decided that every day, despite the fact that he has no soap and no toothbrush, he’ll wash himself and even rub his teeth with his fingers, to remind himself of what it’s like to be human. He notes a sign that the Nazis have posted above the pump, explaining the importance of maintaining cleanliness or else they would die. He thinks that one could still keep oneself clean and do everything right and still be killed—but he’ll play the game.
Yanek’s yearning for a toothbrush represents his loss of humanity as a prisoner—but also his determination to retain some semblance of normalcy. The fact that the Nazis do not provide the prisoners with these symbols of basic hygiene and decency serves as another illustration of how they’re treated as animals rather than humans.
Themes
At Birkenau, Yanek builds new barracks, and the work is just as bad as everywhere else. There is little food, and the bread is hard and bland. Yanek learns a trick with the soup they serve, which is to wait a bit before lining up for it. This way, he gets the heartier parts of the soup which sink to the bottom—which might just keep him alive.
Yanek’s trick with the soup is another indication of his determination, and how he can create his own luck in some ways. By observing when he is more fortunate and gets thicker soup, Yanek is able to determine that waiting allows him to eat something more substantive that will give him a bit more strength.
Themes
The prisoners also learn to use the bathroom during the day so they can use the camp latrines rather than the barrels in the barracks. The same prisoners stand guard at the bathroom door each day, and so the prisoners use them to deliver secret messages for other prisoners. One day, Yanek sees the watchman whisper “tonight” to another prisoner, and that night, there is a prison break. Yanek prays that they get out. The remaining prisoners are assembled and their numbers are read. The Nazis are furious at the break-out. Yanek wonders then if he could make it, too. They stand at roll call for hours.
The prison break gives Yanek hope, as he sees that other prisoners are able to band together in order to try to escape the Nazis. But given the previous failures Yanek has witnessed, it’s likely that he’ll realize his acts of resistance and solidarity must be more subtle, so as not to incur the further wrath of the Nazis.
Themes
At dawn, a ragged bunch of prisoners are marched back inside: they didn’t make it. The men are lined up against a wall in the yard and are immediately shot. Then other prisoners in their work detail are pulled out and shot us as well—men who did nothing besides work alongside those who tried to escape. Then, the officer turns his gun on the roll call, explaining that this is the punishment for trying to escape. Yanek prays that the bullets wouldn’t hit him, but he knows that he cannot run. The officer shoots until he runs out of bullets, after which he orders the remaining prisoners to clean up the dead.
Like the man who fought back in Trzebinia, this attempt to thwart the Nazis plan only results in more punishment. This is one of the reasons that it is so difficult to form relationships in the camps: even working alongside someone can be grounds for getting killed. Additionally, luck is once again proven to be crucial: despite being shot at by the officer, Yanek just happens to be one of the prisoners who makes it out alive.
Themes
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That night, Yanek dreams that Amon Goeth is chasing him with his dogs, and Yanek is unable to get away. One of the dogs leaps up and bites his left arm. Yanek wakes up screaming, holding his left arm, where the Nazis had tattooed B-3087 onto his skin.
Yanek’s dream is a summation of his pain and his fears. It highlights the fact that despite all of his efforts (how hard he might try to escape the dogs), he still may not survive the war. It also emphasizes the cruelty and violence of the Nazis, and the way in which Yanek he has been stripped of his identity, as represented by his number.
Themes
