The Tattooist of Auschwitz: Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis

Emboldened by his budding relationship with Gita and his relative power as the tattooist, Lale decides to approach a group of men dressed in civilian clothes whom he sees every day. Walking up to them, Lale strikes up a conversation with two of the workers, who introduce themselves as Victor and Yuri. Victor is friendly, but Yuri—Victor’s son—calls Lale a “Jew boy” and he tells Lale to mind his own business. However, Victor chides his son for being rude and he explains that they live near the camp and they come to Birkenau to work each day. Processing this information, Lale realizes that Victor and Yuri are paid laborers who go home every evening. Victor then tells Lale that the building they’re constructing is called Crematorium One—a fact that implies there will be other crematoriums.

Noticing Lale’s shock about the idea that the camp will have multiple crematoriums, Victor gives Lale a sausage from his and Yuri’s lunch. When Yuri complains, his father tells him to be quiet. He also admonishes Yuri for being rude and says that he’s going to speak with Yuri’s mother about his behavior. Hesitantly, Lale accepts the sausage, and Victor tells him to come back the next day, promising to bring him more food. “Hell, if we can help just one of you, we’ll do it,” he says. “Save the one, save the world,” Lale says to himself. He then thanks Victor and he asks if he would be able to smuggle in chocolate, which he wants to give to Gita. Victor says he thinks he could probably do this, and Lale says he might be able to find a way to pay for it. 

After leaving Victor and Yuri, Lale breaks the sausage into multiple parts and he puts the pieces in his supplies bag before going outside again. He then goes to the warehouse known as “Canada,” where he knows prisoners sometimes find money and jewels. Lale sees two women whom he’s spoken to before, and without looking at the women, Lale walks up to them and hands them pieces of sausage wrapped in paper. He tells them not to open the packages until they’re alone. He then asks if they’d be willing to bring him jewels or money in exchange for more food, and though the women seem nervous they accept this offer and they promise to bring him whatever they find. Having struck this deal, Lale goes looking for Gita, wanting to give her some sausage— but he can’t find her so he decides to wait until Sunday.

The following day, Lale goes to Victor and Yuri to tell them that he’s trying to find a way to pay them. As Lale approaches, Yuri greets him with warmth, and Victor explains that Yuri’s mother admonished him for being rude. Lale then apologizes that he doesn’t yet have anything to give the men, but Victor tells him not to worry about it, insisting that they have enough food to spare. However, Lale refuses Victor’s offer of more food, saying that he will wait until he’s capable of giving them something in return. In response, Victor puts two packages into Lale’s bag and he tells him to come back tomorrow. 

In Lale’s room, he sees that Victor gave him not only sausage but also chocolate. Lale then divides the sausage into many pieces, intending to give it to the women who work in “Canada” and the men who live in his former residence in Block 7. Rushing outside, he discretely gives the parcels to the women who agreed to give him jewels and money. In turn, they drop two packages into Lale’s supplies bag. That night, Lale spreads what the women gave him on his bed, looking at a collection of jewels and several different kinds of money. The next morning, he gives Victor a diamond ring and a ruby in exchange for several packages of food. “Happy New Year,” Victor whispers, and Lale sets off into the newly fallen snow of 1943.