Love as a Promise of Future

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

This thematic thread follows the promises Lale and Gita make to each other, transforming love into a roadmap out of the camp.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Promise to Tell the Future Promise to Tell the Future from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Promise to Tell the Future Lale Sokolov asks Gita Furman to promise that before they leave Birkenau she will tell him who she is and where she comes from.

Promise to Tell the Future from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Promise to Tell the Future Lale Sokolov asks Gita Furman to promise that before they leave Birkenau she will tell him who she is and where she comes from.

Promise to Tell the Future Lale Sokolov asks Gita Furman to promise that before they leave Birkenau she will tell him who she is and where she comes from. She agrees. A Future Oriented Promise The promise assumes there will be a 'before we leave.' In a camp where death is the norm, that assumption is an act of faith. The Seed of Tomorrow The promise gives them both something to live toward. It is the first brick in a mental path leading outside the gates.

Declaration Before the Future

Declaration Before the Future Lale Sokolov tells Gita Furman he has fallen in love with her and there will be a tomorrow for them. He says, 'We will survive and make a life where we are free to kiss when we want to.' The 'No Buts' Gita tries to say they have no future, but Lale refuses to accept it. He turns her doubt into a promise of freedom. The Prophetic Kiss When they kiss, the future becomes a place they can imagine with enough detail to survive another day.

No Buts After Block 11 No Buts After Block 11 from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". No Buts After Block 11 Lale Sokolov, scarred and exhausted, tells Gita Furman he will never leave her again.

No Buts After Block 11 from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". No Buts After Block 11 Lale Sokolov, scarred and exhausted, tells Gita Furman he will never leave her again.

No Buts After Block 11 Lale Sokolov, scarred and exhausted, tells Gita Furman he will never leave her again. She protests that they cannot even know what tomorrow will bring, and he says, 'Leave it, Gita.' The Promise of the Present Lale has survived the Strafkompanie and knows that tomorrow is not promised. He refuses to let her rob today of its hope. The Future as a Moral Duty He has promised her a free life together. The promise becomes a duty he must fulfill by staying alive.

Furman at the Gates Furman at the Gates from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Furman at the Gates Gita Furman shouts her name to Lale Sokolov as the gates of Birkenau close.

Furman at the Gates from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Furman at the Gates Gita Furman shouts her name to Lale Sokolov as the gates of Birkenau close.

Furman at the Gates Gita Furman shouts her name to Lale Sokolov as the gates of Birkenau close. The name she promised to reveal becomes the key to their future. A Promise Kept in Chaos Even as they are torn apart, Gita fulfills the promise she made behind the administration building. The name is a gift that Lale can use to find her. The Future Carried in a Name Lale will search for Gita Furman across Slovakia and Poland. The name is the first step on the road to their reunion.

Will You Marry Me Will You Marry Me from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Will You Marry Me Lale Sokolov drops to his knees beside a horse-drawn cart in Bratislava and asks Gita Furman to marry him. She says yes.

Will You Marry Me from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Will You Marry Me Lale Sokolov drops to his knees beside a horse-drawn cart in Bratislava and asks Gita Furman to marry him. She says yes.

Will You Marry Me Lale Sokolov drops to his knees beside a horse-drawn cart in Bratislava and asks Gita Furman to marry him. She says yes. The End of the Promise The promises made in the camp are fulfilled in a city still scarred by war. The wedding in October 1945 seals the future they fought to imagine. A Life of Promises The couple builds a home, a business, and a family. Each day they keep the promise that survival is worth the pain.

A Son and a Legacy A Son and a Legacy from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". A Son and a Legacy Gita Sokolov gives birth to Gary Sokolov in 1961, after years of thinking she could never have a child.

A Son and a Legacy from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". A Son and a Legacy Gita Sokolov gives birth to Gary Sokolov in 1961, after years of thinking she could never have a child.

A Son and a Legacy Gita Sokolov gives birth to Gary Sokolov in 1961, after years of thinking she could never have a child. The son becomes the living proof of every promise made in the camp. The Household of Devotion Gary grows up watching his parents cuddle, hold hands, and kiss even after fifty years of marriage. Their devotion is total and uncompromising. The Promise Fulfilled The future they promised each other behind the administration building has arrived. It is a house full of food, laughter, and love in Melbourne.

summer 1942, behind the administration building

after weeks apart at Auschwitz, 1943

1944, after Lale returns from the penal unit

January 1945, when Gita leaves Birkenau

late summer 1945, in Bratislava

1961 and later, in Gary Sokolov's afterword