The Tattooist of Auschwitz

A young woman from Bratislava, Slovakia, Gita is smart, passionate, and beautiful. From the moment Lale lays eyes on her, he is struck by her beauty, which remains through the abuse she suffers while imprisoned in Auschwitz. Gita is a loyal friend to Dana, Ivana, and Cilka, and she is a devout lover and partner to Lale. Gita refuses to leave friends behind. She is not hesitant to show her emotions. Gita refuses to inform Lale of her last name or anything about her family until they make it out of Auschwitz; consequently, her last name is unknown, even to the reader, through the majority of the novel.

When Lale meets Gita, it is love at first sight. The two are introduced to each other in Chapter 3, but the scene is foreshadowed in the Prologue. Their relationship is the driving force of the novel: in a sense, they are lucky because Lale and Gita give each other a reason to live.

Gita carries on her relationship with Lale for the duration of their internment. She becomes deathly ill from typhus but recovers, thanks to the loving care of Dana and Ivana and to the penicillin Lale gets Victor to smuggle in. She and Lale eventually begin a physical relationship, and though their emotional connection deepens, she refuses to tell Lale her full name until they leave.

Eventually, all female prisoners of Auschwitz are herded out by the SS. At the last moment, she shouts to Lale that her last name is Furman. With the help of four Polish girls, she escapes the Nazis and takes refuge in a Polish village. She eventually makes it back to Bratislava, where she reunites with her brothers and, eventually, Lale. The two get married and spend the rest of their lives together.

An American Jew of Polish descent, Jakub has the misfortune of visiting family in Poland when the Nazis take over. He is an enormous man, frequently referred to by the SS as the “giant Jew.” Lale takes pity on his situation; after tattooing him, he tells Jakub to hide in the shadows to avoid selection. Later, he tells Jakub that he is sure the Nazis will not kill him indiscriminately; due to his size and strength, he is confident that Jakub will be of use and given a safer job.

Lale’s prediction comes true, but in a manner that is disadvantageous to Lale, as Jakub is appointed to be a torturer and executioner in Auschwitz Block 11. Like Lale, Jakub chooses to harm his own people in order to survive. When Lale is caught smuggling contraband, he is taken to Jakub to be tortured. Remembering Lale’s kindness, Jakub tries his best to harm him as little as possible. He takes care of Lale after torturing him, gradually nursing him back to health.

Baretski is an SS officer from Romania who is assigned to be Lale’s minder. He seems to both resent the fact that Lale, a prisoner, occupies an important political role in the camp that puts him almost above Baretski. On the other hand, he seems to harbor a sort of respect for Lale, and even seems to care for him at times. He is only a year younger than Lale, but his childish nature makes him seem much younger. Baretski is frequently described as sadistic and is prone to frequent bouts of anger, especially when hungover. 

Cilka is a beautiful Jewish woman who works with Gita in the administration building. Unlike the other prisoners in Auschwitz and Birkenau, she is allowed to keep her beautiful, long hair. Cilka’s beauty is a curse in the camp. Johan Schwarzhuber, one of the commanders at Auschwitz, takes a sexual interest in her. Schwarzhuber then rapes Cilka on multiple occasions. Cilka’s friends notice a terrible change in Cilka: her frequent sexual abuse is breaking her spirit. Lale views her as a hero, enduring horror after horror and still persevering and striving to live. After Lale endures torture and is severely weakened, Cilka is able to use her influence over Schwarzhuber to reinstate him in his position as tattooist. 

Victor and Yuri are Polish civilian construction workers who work at Birkenau. Victor is the elder; it is not clear, but Yuri may be either his son or younger brother. Victor is immediately compassionate toward Lale, though Yuri takes some time to warm up to him. Victor reprimands him for being rude to Lale. Victor gives Lale food, and the three soon strike up a business partnership. Victor and Yuri bring Lale food and supplies, which Lale then shares with the other prisoners. Lale brings Victor and Yuri contraband money, jewels, and other items smuggled out of the Canada warehouse by his friends. 

A French professor who landed in the concentration camps due to his radical political beliefs, Pepan is the original Tätowierer, the tattooist of Auschwitz. Pepan uses his relatively safe political position to help nurse Lale back to health; he is intrigued by Aron’s belief in Lale. Pepan takes a liking to Lale and gets the SS to allow Lale to become his assistant. The two work together for a time, tattooing incoming prisoners. Pepan disappears, and Lale never hears from him again. 

Taken prisoner around the same time as Lale, Aron looks to Lale for guidance on the prison train and after. Aron is a young man who believes in Lale’s potential to change the lives of those around him. When Lale is stricken by Typhus, Aron hides him and helps nurse him back to health. Aron saves his friend’s life, but he loses his own because he lies to the kapo about Lale’s condition. He dies so Lale can have a chance at recovery. 

Schwarzhuber is a high-ranking SS officer in Birkenau. He is described as “a man whose soul has died and whose body is waiting to catch up with it” (100). He graphically rapes Cilka in Chapter 9 and pursues a sexual relationship with her for most of the novel. At Cilka’s request, he has Lale transferred back to his tattooist job after he is weakened from Jakub’s torture.