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The chimneys symbolize the dehumanizing, industrialized way that the Nazis tried to bring about the death of Jewish people. In peacetime, chimneys could be used either during the process of burning coal for energy or during the process of incinerating trash. In the camps, though, the chimneys and the incinerators they’re connected to are where the Nazis burn the bodies of murdered Jewish prisoners. And so, the chimneys at the concentration camp reveal how the Nazis viewed their Jewish prisoners as both energy sources and trash, working them to death and then disposing of their bodies without acknowledging their value as fellow humans. For much of Hannah’s time at the concentration camp, the chimneys are a grim reminder of how close death is not just for her but for all of the other prisoners.
Chimneys Quotes in The Devil’s Arithmetic
The The Devil’s Arithmetic quotes below all refer to the symbol of Chimneys. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 16
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The commandant stood up and stared at her, his eyes gray and unreadable. “Are you his sister?”
She shook her head dumbly, afraid to say more.
“That is good. For you.”
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Chapter 18
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When it was silent at last, the commandant threw the shoes on top of Fayge’s body. “Let them all go up the stack,” he said. “Call the Kommandos. Schnell!”
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The memories of Lublin and the shtetl and the camp itself suddenly seemed like the dreams. She lived, had lived, would live in the future—she, or someone with whom she shared memories. But Rivka had only now.
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Then all three of them took deep, ragged breaths and walked in through the door into endless night.
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Get the entire The Devil’s Arithmetic LitChart as a printable PDF.
Chimneys Symbol Timeline in The Devil’s Arithmetic
The timeline below shows where the symbol Chimneys appears in The Devil’s Arithmetic. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 13
...have discipline. As he talks, Hannah sees smoke in the distance coming out of a chimney. Hannah looks at Gitl, and Gitl gently touches her hand.
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Chapter 14
...the daytime. Rivka tells Hannah that every member of her family was burned in the chimney for various reasons—the Nazis’ “brutal arithmetic”—except for a brother named Wolfe who is nearly dead....
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...sent to “the line”—the one for people who will be killed and go up the chimneys of the gas ovens.
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Chapter 16
That evening, smoke comes out of the chimneys. Reuven doesn’t come back, and Hannah feels she’s responsible. Rivka assures Hannah that she did...
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...fight back against the Nazis, figuring it’s better to die that way than in the chimneys. But Rivka says they have no weapons, so their best option is to keep working...
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Chapter 18
...his men to fire, then he tells them to dispose of the bodies in the chimneys.
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