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Chapter 17
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Survival and Morality
Faith, Love, and Optimism
Unity, Sacrifice, and Empathy
Knowledge, Uncertainty, and Power
Summary
Analysis
One spring day, Baretski says he knows that Lale is capable of obtaining contraband. Lale denies this, but Baretski presses on, saying that he likes Lale and adding that they’re “like brothers” because he’s told Lale so much about his private life. Baretski notes that he has even taken Lale’s advice and he’s tried to write adoring notes to his girlfriend. Moving on, Baretski asks Lale for a favor, saying that his girlfriend’s birthday is coming up and that he wants to send her a present. More specifically, he asks Lale to obtain nylon stockings. Though Lale hesitant at first, he agrees to obtain these for Baretski.
Baretski once again demonstrates his fondness for Lale, this time suggesting that they’re “like brothers.” Of course, this is clearly an inaccurate reading of their relationship, since Baretski actively participates in the persecution of Lale and his fellow prisoners. Nonetheless, the statement highlights just how delusional Baretski is when it comes to his supposed friendship with Lale, failing to recognize that Lale has to be nice to Baretski because failing to do this would put him in danger. In keeping with this, Lale’s ability to act as if he cares about Baretski’s life has clearly become an effective strategy, as Baretski obviously trusts Lale and thinks highly of him, meaning that Baretski1xxxz will be less likely to randomly hurt, punish, or kill him. In turn, readers see that practicing empathy—even in the most unsettling contexts—is an effective survival tactic.
Themes
Lale goes to visit Victor and Yuri, though he discovers that Victor is absent because he’s sick. Addressing Yuri, Lale tentatively asks for a pair of nylon stockings, and Yuri says he should be able get them. Walking back to his block, Lale hears an airplane fly overhead and he watches as prisoners run around in the yard and yell excitedly, since the plane bears the insignia of the United States Air Force. Prisoners scream at the plane and they point at the crematoriums, trying to alert them to the horrible events that are taking place on the ground. After circling several times, though, the plane flies away. As soon as it’s gone, the Nazis open fire on the prisoners from their watchtowers, killing anyone in sight. Lale hides behind a wall, narrowly avoiding death.
For a moment, many of the prisoners are overcome with an immediate and intense sense of hope, thinking that the outside world will finally take notice of what the Nazis have been doing. However, these hopes are immediately dashed when the plane flies away and the Nazis start shooting anyone who tried to get the attention of the Americans. Once again, then, it becomes clear that it is extremely hard to embody any kind of positivity or faith in humanity while existing in the wretched world of the camps, where the power of the Nazis is seemingly unshakable.
Themes
Lale rushes back to his block to help the Romany children who have been shot. When one dies, Lale recites a Jewish prayer, not knowing how the Romany people honor the dead. That night, Lale sits with the grief-stricken families and he thinks about the fact that it’s April 4, 1944, meaning he has been in the camp just short of two years. This astounds him, as it seems impossible that he has survived for so long. Perhaps, Lale thinks, the people who shouted at the plane that day made a difference—maybe the United States will soon alert the world to what’s happening in the camps. If this happens, Lale thinks, the people who died will not have died for nothing. Having articulated this, he decides to cling to this idea, which he knows will help him continue to get out of bed each day.
Although it seems all but impossible to embrace an optimistic outlook in the concentration camps, Lale is uniquely gifted at finding the silver lining in any situation. While it’s true that multiple prisoners have just died because they allowed themselves to get their hopes up, Lale recognizes that the mere presence of the American plane suggests that the rest of the world is beginning to pay closer attention to what the Nazis are doing. By investing himself in the idea that the people who died that day didn’t die in vain, he gives himself the motivation he needs to continue doing what it takes to survive.
Themes
