Identification Numbers

The unique numbers that the prisoners are assigned upon arrival at Auschwitz symbolize their loss of their previous identity and their new status as prisoners. The ink permanently marks their skin and remains with them even after the camp is liberated, becoming a symbol of their time in the concentration camp.

Lale’s Job

Lale’s job as the tattooist puts him in a complex position as a prisoner with extra privileges and symbolizes the blurred morality of life in Auschwitz. On one hand, he experiences guilt for participating in the harming of innocent people, and yet with this position he is able to help those same people because of the privileges that come with the job.

The Wagons

The wagons that the young Jewish men are transported to Auschwitz in were originally designed to transport livestock, and this represents how the prisoners are treated...