Numbers, Names, and Stolen Identity

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

This thematic thread explores how numbers erase identity and how the prisoners resist by recovering names.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Receiving 32407 Receiving 32407 from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Receiving 32407 Lale Sokolov watches as his own arm is tattooed with 32407.

Receiving 32407 Lale Sokolov watches as his own arm is tattooed with 32407. He realizes that from this moment on he may be defined by an irregular number burned into his skin. The Name Erased The number replaces his name, his occupation, and his history. The SS do not want a man named Ludwig Eisenberg; they want a unit of labor. The Core Remains Even as the ink dries, Lale feels something inside that refuses to be numbered. That core will one day insist on knowing Gita Furman's real name.

Gita as a Number Gita as a Number from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Gita as a Number Gita Furman tells Lale Sokolov she is just prisoner 34902. She says the outside no longer exists, and only here is real.

Gita as a Number from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Gita as a Number Gita Furman tells Lale Sokolov she is just prisoner 34902. She says the outside no longer exists, and only here is real.

Gita as a Number Gita Furman tells Lale Sokolov she is just prisoner 34902. She says the outside no longer exists, and only here is real. The Number She Was Given Lale himself tattooed 34902 onto her arm. The act makes him complicit in the erasure he is trying to undo. The Name He Wants Lale gives his own full name to prove that identity can survive. He asks Gita to promise to share her name before they leave the camp.

Answering to a Name Answering to a Name from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Answering to a Name At Saurer-Werke, an SS guard hands Lale Sokolov a transfer list and says, 'Your name is on the list.' For the first time in years, Lale…

Answering to a Name from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Answering to a Name At Saurer-Werke, an SS guard hands Lale Sokolov a transfer list and says, 'Your name is on the list.' For the first time in years, Lale…

Answering to a Name At Saurer-Werke, an SS guard hands Lale Sokolov a transfer list and says, 'Your name is on the list.' For the first time in years, Lale gets to answer to 'Lale' instead of a number. The Hidden Tattoo Lale has hidden his tattoo and his identity, pretending to be Catholic. The name on the list is a small victory against the system. The Rebirth of the Self Names are dangerous and powerful. Lale clings to his own as he escapes the camp and walks toward freedom.

Furman Called Out Furman Called Out from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Furman Called Out Gita Furman is swept through the gates of Birkenau and shouts her surname to Lale Sokolov: 'Furman.

Furman Called Out from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Furman Called Out Gita Furman is swept through the gates of Birkenau and shouts her surname to Lale Sokolov: 'Furman.

Furman Called Out Gita Furman is swept through the gates of Birkenau and shouts her surname to Lale Sokolov: 'Furman. My name is Gita Furman!' A Promise Kept in Chaos The name she had hidden for years is given to the man she loves at the worst moment of their separation. It is a gift of total trust. The Number Becomes Human By calling out her name, Gita reclaims the identity the camp tried to reduce to 34902. Lale now has a name to search for after the war.

Name Change and Memory Name Change and Memory from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Name Change and Memory Lale Sokolov changes his name from Eisenberg to Sokolov to survive in Soviet-controlled Slovakia.

Name Change and Memory from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Name Change and Memory Lale Sokolov changes his name from Eisenberg to Sokolov to survive in Soviet-controlled Slovakia.

Name Change and Memory Lale Sokolov changes his name from Eisenberg to Sokolov to survive in Soviet-controlled Slovakia. The new name is a practical shield, but it also hides the family name of his murdered parents. The Weight of Names The novel is called The Tattooist of Auschwitz, yet the protagonist ends his life as Sokolov. Names are still being negotiated even after the camps. The Name That Mattered Gita Furman becomes Gita Sokolov, and their son Gary Sokolov carries the name of the sister in law who gave them a home. The line between erased and remembered is thin but alive.

April 23, 1942, at the Auschwitz tattoo table

summer 1942, behind the administration building

April 1945, at Saurer-Werke

January 1945, at the gates of Birkenau

1945–1949, in Czechoslovakia and Australia