Auschwitz/the Zoo

The Zamorskis arrive at the Auschwitz concentration camp at the beginning of the novel, and this is the location of all of the events in Part one. Upon arrival, Pearl and Stasha are selected by Dr. Josef Mengele to reside in his "Zoo," a special area of the camp where he performs experiments on individuals he considers odd. The barracks here are still overcrowded and unpleasant, like those in the rest of the camp, and their direct view is a field of corpses that "filled and emptied in terrible repetition" (25). The smoke from the crematorium is a constant presence, described as a "flame-licked wind" and "scorched scent" (9). The Nazis play music constantly to encourage the prisoners to work and remain docile. There are warehouses storing all of the prisoners' personal items that were taken from them upon arrival, which the prisoners call "Canada." The camp is...