Chapter 10, Shopwindows Summary

Every Tuesday Oskar accompanies his grandmother Koljaiczek to market day. There, the old Kashubian woman sells the butter, eggs and geese she raises on her farm. In the cold, a vendor named Schwerdtfeger supplies heated bricks for warmth. Every hour, he slides a heated brick under Anna's voluminous skirts with an iron rake, while drawing out the previous hour's brick, now grown cold. Oskar violently envies the bricks, wishing to take shelter under his grandmother's skirts. This experience makes Oskar understand temptation, which fuels his nocturnal wanderings.

Oskar and his drum continue to sporadically disrupt rallies and demonstrations until November 1938. At night, he plays the tempter. He slips away in darkness and stands in the darkened doorways of the city, overlooking the shop windows with their enticing displays. Oskar observes the window shoppers who linger on chilly nights, focusing on a...