The Hardships of Women in the Holocaust: Feminist Theory Applied to The Tattooist of Auschwitz

feminism blog.jpg — A Symbol of The Feminist Movement

Feminist Literary Theory focuses on the impact of gender on both reading and writing. It aims to examine how women are represented in comparison to men and how their roles in society differ from each other. Overall, feminism is the idea that women and men should be equal, however, in literature, female characters are often portrayed in social positions that depict them as subordinates to men.

feminism blog — The Women’s Camp at Auschwitz

While there are many commonalities in the male-female prisoner experience at Auschwitz-Birkenau, there are also many aspects of the prisoner experience that were unique to women and events which were secluded within the walls of the women’s camp. Both male and female prisoners experienced a different set of threats and challenges, however, the women were more likely to be subjected to sexual harassment and rape. In The Tattooist of Auschwitz, there are multiple occasions in which women are not only oppressed by men and not given a voice, but they are presented as objects that had to satisfy the wishes and commands of men.

feminism blog 1 — Lale Sokolov Admiring his Wife Gita

Lale, the book’s protagonist, seems to be the only male in the novel that does not oppress women and views them as equals to men. Lale “was attracted to all women, not just physically, but emotionally. He loved talking to them; he loved making them feel good about themselves. To him, all women were beautiful and he believed there was no harm in telling them so” (Morris, 113). In July 1942, while tattooing a group of female arrivals, Lale looked into the eyes of a young girl, Gita Furman. As I have mentioned in my previous blogs, Lale and Gita fall desperately in love with each other and their love is what motivates them to keep on living through the hells of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Lale devotes his happiness to Gita and does anything for her, to ensure that she keeps fighting to live so that they can someday escape and create a life together. Lale respects not only Gita, but all women and expresses how much he adores each women’s individuality. He reveals to his SS guard, Baretski, that to win over a woman, “it’s all about respecting them and what they care about” (Morris, 53).

Granting Lale’s genuine perspective and demeanor towards women, it bears no resemblance to how other men in the novel treat and think of women. An SS Gaurd, Auschwitz Doctor, the head of Birkenau, and a Russian soldier, are all men that have mistreated or molested women. Due to these men’s actions, the women in the novel were mainly represented as sex objects.

Baretski, Lale’s SS minder, seems astonished by Lale’s claim on how to win over a woman: “‘What does it matter what she thinks?’ He begins smirking and yanking at his groin. ‘That’s all I want from them, and that’s what they want from me. I know these things'” (Morris, 54). Baretski does not treat women with respect and this is evident in the way that he talks about them in conversation. It is almost hypocritical in the way that he treats of women because when asked by Lale if he would want other men to treat his sisters the way he treats his girlfriend, he responds angrily, claiming that he would kill any man that did so.

Mengele, Auschwitz’s ‘doctor’ examines women and is permitted to deem them as fit for work, or to otherwise direct them to be exterminated in the gas chambers. His character is extremely cruel and violent as he decides “their fate with a flick of his hand: right, left, right, right, left, left” (Morris, 111). He forcefully grabs a girls face and “twists it backward and forward and up and down, and opens her mouth. (Morris, 112). “He runs his hands over her hair and down her breasts” (Morris, 126). Mengele did not have the intention of helping these women, he only touched them as he desired and decided their fate as to if they would live or die. He objectified the women by placing value on their bodies and then based on his liking towards them, he would decide if they would live or die.

Schwarzhuber, the head of Birchenau, handpicked Cilka, one of Gita’s friends from the women’s camp and forced her to be his personal sex object. “Cilka attempts to cover herself as he rips her shirt open. She feels the back of his hand across her face as she closes her eyes and gives in to the inevitable” (Morris,101). He continually rapes Cilka as often as he pleases and merely treats her as an object of his sexual desire, rather than a whole person. Sexual assault is one of the main feminist issues present in the novel and it is an unacceptable action for a person to ever do to another human being. Cilka’s situation in the book reveals the horrendous circumstances of the occurrence, as she had to give in to the impending abuse so that she would be able to stay alive.

A drunken Russian soldier forced himself upon a young Polish girl, who escaped from Auschwitz with Gita. He intended to rape the young girl until he was stopped by others who knew this was unacceptable. This soldier was aware that the young girl had only just escaped from Auschwitz and how emotionally distraught she was, and yet he attempts to molest her for his own pleasures without her consent.

The male characters attitudes toward women, affected my response to said male characters because I evaluated them based on how they viewed and treated women. I admired Lale because of how he interacted with women and how well he treated them. Whereas I did not typically like Baretski, Mengele, or Schwarzhuber, just solely based on how they chose to disrespect women and objectify their bodies. They each focused on a phallocentric viewpoint and devalued women. They blatantly evaluated or judged women sexually, based on their physical qualities.

patriarchy — Feminism Undermines Patriarchy

In the historical period of WW2, society was still centered around a patriarchal perspective, where the role and imposition of power were held by men. Men dominated roles in the family, community, and workplace. Meanwhile, women were subordinate to the power of the men and were viewed as sex objects. To some extent, this was seen as socially acceptable to view woman this way, due to the time period. This is perhaps why Baretski, Mengele, and Schwarzhuber did not think twice about the way they treated women, because it was normal for women to be considered as a man’s commodity in their lifetime. The Tattooist of Auschwitz seems to reinforce patriarchal society, nonetheless, presenting woman this way in today’s society is completely inappropriate.

Another aspect of the Feminist Theory that is present in The Tattooist of Auschwitz, is the concept of sisterhoods. A sisterhood essentially forms within the women’s camp at Auschwitz. Gita, Dana, Cilka, and Ivana, form a camp-sister relationship that appears to be a gender-specific coping skill to deal with the appalling circumstances of Auschwitz: “Whatever happens, tomorrow will happen to all of them- together they will live or die” (Morris, 210). This sisterhood was created for mutual assistance and strength. These women held on to each other, during the especially brutal times in Auschwitz. The term ‘sisterhood’ is unique to women, because there is no corresponding term describing male friendships. Sometimes the women in sisterhoods were real relatives, but many of the camp sisters met and bonded in Auschwitz, brought together for mutual help to survive the hardships they endured.

In conclusion, concerning Feminist Theory, The Tattooist of Auschwitz moderately affirms the traditional ideas about women and exposes the extent to which women were objectified in the time period, as well as the horrendous hardships that they experienced in Auschwitz, that were specific to females.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the photos used in my blog post

The Tattooist of Auschwitz Through an Archetypal Lens: A Deeper Understanding of the Text

Archetypes are reoccurring characters, situations, or symbols throughout literature, that are in the collective unconscious of all human beings. People know of the common archetypes in literature, even if they are unaware of this when reading. They are present in typically every book, movie, or tv show, and examples of these include the Hero, Mentor, Quests, and Good vs Evil. Archetypes are added to stories to enhance the plotline and make them compelling for the reader. People are able to apply their common knowledge of archetypes to the ones in the story and gain a better understanding of the media they are interpreting.

One way that archetypes are presented within The Tattooist of Auschwitz is through characters. There are many characters that can be associated with multiple character archetypes due to the uniqueness of the novel and the circumstances that the characters are exposed to in the concentration camp. This also causes some of the archetypes to be slightly different than the definition of the way they are typically presented.

_99481058_c7d4897b-d517-4c67-96fc-1dd7e6278928 — Lale Sokolov, prior to being taken to Auschwitz Concentration Camp

Lale, the book’s protagonist, can be declared as the hero of the novel. He was born and raised as a Jew, which subjected him to the dangers of not conforming to the beliefs of Hitler and his Nazis. This forced him to be taken away and separated from his family. He endured numerous traumatic events at Auschwitz which altered his life forever, however, he possessed idealized traits which allowed him to survive: his optimist ‘will to survive’ is critical and he also embodies sacrifice and devotion. He assists others in surviving as well and used his position to improve the lives of those around him – he traded valuable items from within the camp, for food or medicine with people from outside the walls of Auschwitz. He also follows a similar journey of that of archetypal heroes. He endured the unhealable wound suffered at the camp and experienced atonement with his father. His father treated women with little respect and Lale atoned his father’s actions by appreciating all women and treating them with the respect they deserve. Overall, Lale’s continual thread of hope, his ability to help others and make the best out of situations composes him as the ideal hero archetype. Despite this, Lale Sokolov, the man who inspired Morris for the main character of her book, views himself differently:

“I was no hero. I just did the right thing.” (Sokolov, 2004)

_99470688_9ac0d936-53df-41cf-b032-120fcf4accee — Women at Auschwitz have their heads shaved

Gita, Lale’s lover and the other main character of the book can be declared as the Platonic Ideal archetype. I do not think she is the Damsel in Distress because her, as well as everyone in the camp, are under the same circumstances and all need to be rescued, not just her specifically. Gita is a woman who is Lale’s source of inspiration to keep moving forward “to go on another day, and another day, for one thousand days, for however long it takes” (Morris, 145). The thought that he and Gita may have a future together someday, makes him strive to survive the camp. He is attracted to her intellectually, and not solely because of her appearance. In fact, Lale has only seen her with her head shaved, malnourished, and in prisoner clothing, yet he still is attracted to her and loves her.

Another way that archetypes are presented within this novel is through situational archetypes.

The ever so common Good vs Evil situation is the main part of the storyline in the novel. The ‘good’ are the innocent victims and prisoners of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, and the ‘evil’ is the Nazi SS and Hitler. These two sides are pitted against one another from the beginning. These people are all human but differ with the empathy or lack of empathy they have for others. The evil subject the good to inhumane circumstances because they have no empathy for these people. They wholeheartedly believed in Hitler’s views that depicted the prisoners of the concentration camps as inferior individuals that were not worthy of participating in roles of society. The ‘good’ typically triumph the ‘evil’, but in this case, the victims of the concentration camp certainly did not win, they only survived after enduring horrendous torture and terror that was inflicted upon them.

This novel also includes the Unhealable Wound situation. In this case, it involves physical and emotional scars that were fixed into the minds and hearts of Holocaust survivors. Prisoners were “taken by disease, malnutrition, and exposure to cold… gas chambers and the crematoria” (Morris, 155). The haunting memories of the appalling circumstances they experienced within the walls of concentration camps have surely left a wound that will never fully heal and remind the victims of the suffering they endured so many years ago.

The final way that archetypes are presented within this novel is through symbols. Symbols usually require more of an in-depth analysis to fully comprehend their true meaning and what they reveal about the events in the story.

_99469755_f149ded9-f480-478b-98e7-29594b920735 — Tattooed arms of Auschwitz prisoners

The first symbol in the novel is the tattoos that were engraved into the arms of prisoners. The tattoos have become one of the most recognizable symbols of the Holocaust and its deadliest camp, as only prisoners at Auschwitz were tattooed. The prisoners were branded this way because it dehumanized them. The numbers that were forcefully and painfully inked into their forearms, replaced their identity and stripped them of their individuality. These tattoos represent one of the darkest, most horrific time periods in history and symbolize the sickening ways of The Holocaust of WW2.

d384be18c3eaabc86041768b4bb050e9 — Lone Flower on Train tracks

Another symbol that I noticed while reading is the use of colour to emphasize the conditions of Auschwitz concentration camp. Lale was walking back to Birkenau after another distressing day of numbering young women. He stopped along the train tracks when a flash of colour captured his attention. Colour was a rare occurrence in the dreadful and gloomy concentration camp. It was an indication of hope for prisoners so the Nazis were sure to remove any essence of it from the camp, however, Lale happened to see a single flower that had a jet-black centre surrounded by blood red petals. It was the only flower in sight and reminded Lale of the two most special women in his life: his mother and Gita. He wonders when or if he would ever see his mother again or marry Gita if they were to survive. Lale picks the rare flower, which red petals symbolize the love, sacrifice, and passion he feels towards Gita and decides he will later give it to her. He places the precious flower beside his bed, only to wake up the next morning to see that the petals of the flower have fallen from its center, leaving only the jet-black eye of the flower. Afterwards, Lale states with disappointment that “Death alone persists in this place” (Morris, 114). The remaining black eye of the flower symbolizes the death, darkness, and doom that coincides with the horrendous conditions of the concentration camp. It reveals how essentially all aspects of love and hope are consumed by the death of the camp.

The author uses many archetypes within The Tattooist of Auschwitz to add depth to the characters, introduce situations people are familiar with, and make people contemplate the true meaning of the symbols used and how they alter the meaning of the novel. Overall, each archetype used in this novel adds to the essence of the plot and reveals the true hardships that the prisoners of Auschwitz underwent only a few decades ago.

Works Cited

chrismurban Follow. “Hero Archetype.” LinkedIn SlideShare, 8 July 2009, http://www.slideshare.net/chrismurban/hero-archetype.

Kaplan, Michael. “This Man Was the Savior Tattoo Artist of the Holocaust.” New York Post, New York Post, 9 Sept. 2018, nypost.com/2018/09/08/this-man-was-the-savior-tattoo-artist-of-the-holocaust/.

Morris, Heather. The Tattooist of Auschwitz: a Novel. Harper, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2018.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the photos used in my blog post

The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Holocaust Love Story

For my ISP book, I chose to read The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. I have read the first third of the book and have analyzed it through the reader response theory in my vlog below, in which I discuss how I have interpreted the text through my own personal meaning. I also outline specific moments in the text that stood out to me and sparked connections to other texts, possible predictions, or visualizations.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Halocaust Love Story

For my summative assignment, I am reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. This book is based on a true story about two Slovakian Jews named Lale and Gita, who are both sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, fall in love, and are determined to survive so they can be together forever. Together, they are deprived of their freedom, have their names replaced by numbers and endure the harsh realities of striving to stay alive in a concentration camp.

The first few chapters of the book follow Lale and his journey through life at the concentration camp. The Nazis ordered all of Slovakia’s Jewish families to surrender one capable male to work in the war effort. It seemed like an easy decision for Lale to volunteer himself so that none of his family members would be taken away, however, he had no idea of the horrendous duties that awaited him. When reading the passage that describes when Lale is leaving home, it created a vivid image in my mind: I could picture him dressed in his typical attire, a small suitcase in hand full of some of his most treasured trinkets from home, all while his mind is completely unaware of where he was being taken and what inhumane circumstances he would soon be accustomed to. Lale was determined to do whatever necessary to come back to his family.

15764054743_d0c08ff784_b — Train Tracks to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp

Only a few hours after leaving his home, he was being herded into a narrow wagon
with many other men, which included way too many for the small space. He had to remain there for days, was given no food or water, and was forced to sit among the stench of feces and a deceased man. After Lale arrives at the camp he quickly made many observations about his surroundings. He was confused as to where exactly he was and why himself and the other men with him were being treated with so little respect. Lale was trying to make a connection between him and the other men when he finally concludes “what they all share is fear. And youth. And their religion” (Morris, 5). I think this is a significant quotation because it reveals Lale and other Jews were initially unaware as to why they were specifically selected to come and work for the Germans. They scrambled to come up with possible reasons but soon came to realize this horrid treatment was to punish them for their religion.

Despite his circumstances and how Lale was being treated, he strives to have a positive outlook on his situation and attempts to persevere through his time at the camp, not knowing how long he will be there. He also tries to keep up the spirits of his fellow prisoners, reminding them that they are there to protect their families and he encourages them to not bring attention to themselves because it could abruptly result in their death. I find this odd that Lale has been able to remain so strong, undeterred by the intolerable conditions of the camp.

Lale begins having vivid dreams and they become an escape from his dreadful reality. One of the said dreams is about Lale interacting with women and reveals how he thinks of them: “all beautiful, regardless of their age, their appearance, how they are dressed” (Morris, 37). After dreaming of women he is awakened by gunshots and is forced back into the reality of following the duties he was ordered to complete.

Lale acquired a job as one of the camps tattooists that are responsible for inking each

92b3d67c9954b582ba00834621455e93--number-tattoos-mark-seliger — Survivors of the Holocaust Display Number Tattoos

prisoner’s defining number into their arm. He was forced to do this against his will and did not agree with inflicting pain upon people and allowing their identity to be defined as a number. He was reluctant to tattoo the women that came into the camp but is told he either follows orders or risks death. Lale tells his fellow prisoners that “tattooing the arms of men is one thing; defiling the bodies of young girls is horrifying” (Morris, 40). I think this contradicts the essence of his dream I mentioned earlier. He admires women and treats them with the respect they deserve in his everyday life, but he is now being forced to do the exact opposite and intentionally inflict pain upon them.

When tattooing yet another group of young women, one girl stands out to Lale: girl #34902. He admired her beauty and wanted to know more about her. As soon as she was introduced into the book I assumed she was going to be the main character and a love interest for Lale solely based on the way their interaction is described: “Her eyes, however, dance before him. As he looks into them, his heart seems simultaneously to stop and to begin beating for the first time, pounding, almost threatening to burst out of his chest” (Morris, 41).

95e43-benn-2117-ns271-auschwitz-gates-2 — Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp.

He soon meets this girl and discovers only one fact about her… her name is Gita. Unfortunately, she soon becomes sick and Lale risks his own life to smuggle medicine for her into the camp. Lale awaits desperately for his new lover to wake up so that they can continue living, in hopes they will soon start a life together away from the concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Works Cited

Auschwitz Gates. Keystone/GettyImages, 95e43-benn-2117-ns271-auschwitz-gates.jpg.

Train Tracks to Auschwitz Image . http://www.drrickbrinkman.com/blog-09/2009/08/12/a-stones-throw.

Holocaust Tattoos Image. http://www.thealexandriapapers.com/tag/tattoos/.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz Cover. Goodreads.com, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35523006-the-tattooist-of-auschwitz.

The Importance of Grade 12 University Level English

Image result for book — (http://atlantismagazine.net/how-do-i-get-my-book-self-published.html)

When applying to university, there are specific course requirements that a student must have obtained prior to even applying to their preferred program. For students currently in Ontario, all universities require one of those courses to be a grade 12 university level English.

In my opinion, I do think that a grade 12 university level English credit should continue to be a compulsory course if a student wishes to apply to university. I believe it shows the universities that you have the previous knowledge and skills that are needed to excel in a university program.

Knowledge is power.jpg — Knowledge of English opens the door to many other opportunities in the world. (Wattanapichayakul)

English class reviews proper grammar, sentence structure, note taking, critical thinking, effective argumentative writing and paragraph formatting. These basic components are fundamental for writing the foundation of essays, research reports, literature reviews, and science labs. Without the basic English skills taught in high school, University courses would be more challenging and almost impossible to conquer. Even if I student understands the course material, if they do not know how to properly format and communicate their ideas, it will severely impact their mark.

To be completely honest, as a current student in 12th grade, I am not 100% sure on how to write a proper essay using the correct format preferred by universities. My prior English teachers have allowed me to essentially write freely by only following a loosely enforced paragraph format. Some of my friends who have completed high school have informed me that English classes prior to grade 12 only establish basic knowledge and encourage students to express their own ideas. While grade 12 English classes teach students how to correctly organize their thoughts and provide a deeper understanding of literacy and critical and creative thinking. By the time I earn a grade 12 University level English credit, I hope that I will be confident in my English abilities and that I will have all of the core skills needed to articulate my thoughts in university next year.

Some people believe that English simply only provides people with the primary skills of reading and writing. However, it provides people with so much more than that and can be extremely beneficial in all aspects of life. Even if an individual doesn’t anticipate on pursuing a post secondary education, a concrete grade 12 English credit can aid them in writing job resumes and accomplishing other things in the workplace.

In conclusion, a grade 12 University level English credit should remain as a mandatory prerequisite for all University programs. The concepts taught in grade 12 English courses are necessary for success in academic and daily life and can be conveyed into all career paths.

Works Cited

“The Place of English in the Curriculum.” The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12, edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/english1112curr.pdf.

“How Important Is Teaching Literacy in All Content Areas?” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, http://www.edutopia.org/blog/literacy-instruction-across-curriculum-importance.