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
Rattled from his experience in the crematorium, Lale goes to Gita’s block and he gives her kapo a piece of chocolate, asking her to get Gita and bring her back to the block. Lale waits inside until Gita arrives but he’s surprised when she furiously approaches him, slamming her fists against his chest. The only time SS officers single out prisoners and tell them to come with them, she explains, is when the prisoner is about to die. This is what just happened to Gita, so she thought she was on her way to an early death. Enraged, Gita pushes Lale and she hits him, but soon her anger turns to passion as she presses her lips to his. Stumbling onto a bed, they have sex quickly and voraciously, and the act “seals their commitment to each other,” making Lale feel even more inspired to do whatever it takes to survive.
Once more, readers see the ways in which love emboldens Lale and Gita, making it possible for them to endure otherwise unbearable circumstances. In this moment, they feel extraordinarily invested in their relationship in a way that fuels their desire to survive. Given that Lale has just witnessed death and destruction in the crematorium, this is an especially important moment, since his relationship with Gita revitalizes him and it renews his will to live.
Themes
