The Tattooist of Auschwitz: Chapter 21 Summary & Analysis

In the morning, Lale wakes to Baretski’s voice telling him he must be a cat, since he seems to have so many lives. Laughing, Baretski asks how Lale made it out of Block 11, saying he’s never heard of anyone surviving that place. Lale says he doesn’t know and  then he asks why he’s been reinstalled in his old room. In response, Baretski tells him that the room comes with the job—he’s been reinstated as the Tätowierer. He then warns Lale to steer clear of Houstek, who is extremely unhappy to hear that Lale hasn’t been executed. As Lale prepares for work, he apologizes to Baretski for failing to get the nylons for his girlfriend, but Baretski says that it doesn’t matter because she broke up with him. Hearing this, Lale expresses his sympathy. He then focuses on reuniting with Leon, who is astonished and overjoyed to see him back at work. 

After work, Lale goes to see Gita, whom he finds coming back from her day’s work with Dana. Both women are ecstatic to see him. Dana, for her part, begins to cry, but Gita remains dry-eyed. Still, she talks about how happy she is that Lale’s alive, saying that she thought for sure she’d lost him forever. Lale then tells Gita to close her eyes, count to 10, and open them again. When she does, Lale says, “I’m still here. I’ll never leave you again.” However, Gita expresses her desperation, saying that she doesn’t think she can go on like this much longer. In response, Lale reminds her that they will survive and create a future together. When Lale asks Gita if she trusts him, she says, “I do,” and he notes that she will say these very same words to him someday in a much different context.

Lale returns to his room and he finds two prisoners waiting for him. They tell Lale that they’ve heard he can get them extra food, though he denies this. Still, they hold out a diamond ring as a payment, urging Lale to take it. He agrees, and in the morning he puts the diamond ring in his supplies bag before going to see Victor and Yuri, moving with much more caution than he used to. Victor greets Lale warmly and he asks where Lale has been, though Lale says it’ll be better if they don’t talk about that. When Victor asks if Lale is “back in business,” Lale answers that he will be doing a lot less. After Lale gives Victor the ring, Yuri looks at him and he quietly says, “It’s good to see you again.” Lale then asks Yuri if he has any chocolate, and Yuri hands him a bar with a wink. 

With the chocolate in his bag, Lale goes to Gita’s block, where he bribes the kapo into letting him spend alone time with his lover. When Gita arrives, Lale explains that, though he still doesn’t want to talk about where he’s been, there are things he can’t hide from her: his scars. Lifting up his shirt, Lale shows her the welts on his back. Running her fingers over the wounds at first, Gita slowly bends toward them and she puts her lips to the tender skin. As they have sex, Lale feels an intimacy he’s never known in his entire life.