The Pianist

“Small black paws hauled consignments of goods through the openings—consignments that were often larger than the smugglers themselves.”

The author describes the difficult conditions of the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. Children take part in the smuggling activities, and the author uses the metaphor of paws to compare them to animals—a prominent motif in the memoir.

“I lost two illusions here: my beliefs in our general solidarity and in the musicality of the Jews.”

As Władysław plays in the Warsaw ghetto cafes, he is disheartened when he witnesses the wealthy clientele talking loudly and ignoring his music. He notices the extremely divide between the wealthy and the poor, which is a large theme of the book. There is a difference between being a wealthy, connected Jew and a poor Jew: injustice reigns between classes, here.

“A grey-haired, clean-shaven gentleman […] remarked, ‘Really, this is no way to behave!’… ‘No, no, this won’t do!’”

These lines speak to the surreal way in which the German invasion unfolds for the Jews. An older gentleman utters these words, taken aback at the “bad behavior” that he witnesses. Throughout the memoir, the writer employs a darkly humorous tone to underline the atrocity as well as the unbelievable way the Germans treat the Jews.