Section 3 Summary

When the protagonist awakens after his surgery, he finds himself attached to several needles that are injecting a variety of chemicals into his bloodstream. He feels like fire is running through his veins and is aware of another presence in the room. It is a nurse. He tells her he is thirsty and wants to drink, but she tells him he cannot because it will make him vomit. Shortly thereafter, the doctor enters the room and tells him that an intense fever, due to infection, is causing this insatiable thirst. This causes him to think once more of his grandmother. He sees her in the concentration camp, crammed into a too-tight space with too many other bodies. She is also crying out for water, but nobody is there to quench her thirst. He suddenly feels a strong desire to speak so that he...