Mendel Bauer's Midnight Rescue

This subplot tells the story of how Lale Sokolov uses Bella's records and his tattoo needle to save a fugitive boy from the gallows.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Boys at the Door

Boys at the Door Two frightened Polish boys knock on Lale Sokolov's door and say their friend is in trouble. Lale responds with dry jokes until they explain that their friend has been caught after escaping. The Stupidity of Hunger The boy, Mendel Bauer, had walked into a village to steal food and was recognized by the number on his arm. Now he faces the gallows. A Familiar Cry Lale remembers the death cart and the men who saved him. He begins to think of a way to give Mendel a future.

Escape and Recapture

Escape and Recapture Mendel Bauer tells Lale how he slipped away from his work detail by asking to use the latrine in the trees. He walked into the forest, but hunger drove him into a village, and soldiers found him. A Number Without a Name The tattoo on Mendel's arm became his death sentence. The soldiers brought him back to Birkenau to hang him as an example. Lale Sees His Own Choice Lale looks at the boy's number and knows it was made by his own hand. He cannot let a man die simply because he was hungry.

Lale Consults Bella

Lale Consults Bella Lale Sokolov slips through the dark compound to the administration office and finds Bella behind the desk. He asks whether a transport is leaving that night. The Midnight List Bella says one hundred unnumbered men are being sent to a boys' camp at midnight. She agrees to add a name to the list, asking only who it belongs to. A Bribe and a Risk Lale gives Bella a ring encrusted with rubies and diamonds. She accepts it and warns him to send the boy to the compound when the truck is being loaded.

Snake Over the Number

Snake Over the Number Lale Sokolov sits beside Mendel Bauer and begins to change the tattooed number into a snake. The ink is not perfect, but it conceals the digits well enough to survive a casual glance. Why the Snake In the boys' camp, no one is numbered. A visible Auschwitz number would immediately expose Mendel and send him back to the hangman. Marked for Life, Hidden for Life Lale turns the dehumanizing tattoo into an image of survival. The snake, an animal of transformation, covers the number that would have killed its bearer.

Midnight Transport

Midnight Transport Lale Sokolov hears the telltale sound of trucks being loaded and leads Mendel Bauer through the shadows. He tells him to push into the middle of a line and give his name when asked. A Name on the List Mendel reaches the trucks and is ushered on board. Lale watches from the darkness as the engine starts and the truck pulls away. A Chance at Another Life Lale walks back to his room knowing he has given one young man a chance he would never have had. That night is enough to sustain him through the months of horror that follow.

March 1944, during a night in Lale's room

days before the rescue, outside Birkenau

the same night, at the administration office

late that night, in Lale's room

shortly before midnight, at the compound gates