The chimneys symbolize the dehumanizing, industrialized way that the Nazis tried to bring about the death of Jewish people. In peacetime, chimneys could be used either during the process of burning coal for energy or during the process of incinerating trash. In the camps, though, the chimneys and the incinerators they’re connected to are where the Nazis burn the bodies of murdered Jewish prisoners. And so, the chimneys at the concentration camp reveal how the Nazis viewed their Jewish prisoners as both energy sources and trash, working them to death and then disposing of their bodies without acknowledging their value as fellow humans. For much of Hannah’s time at the concentration camp, the chimneys are a grim reminder of how close death is not just for her but for all of the other prisoners.
Chimneys Quotes in The Devil’s Arithmetic
The commandant stood up and stared at her, his eyes gray and unreadable. “Are you his sister?”
She shook her head dumbly, afraid to say more.
“That is good. For you.”
When it was silent at last, the commandant threw the shoes on top of Fayge’s body. “Let them all go up the stack,” he said. “Call the Kommandos. Schnell!”
The memories of Lublin and the shtetl and the camp itself suddenly seemed like the dreams. She lived, had lived, would live in the future—she, or someone with whom she shared memories. But Rivka had only now.
Then all three of them took deep, ragged breaths and walked in through the door into endless night.
Chimneys Symbol Timeline in The Devil’s Arithmetic
