This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen

This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen Summary | Detailed Summary

Set in a concentration camp (probably Auschwitz), the story begins as the prisoners have just endured a delousing. A couple of short paragraphs describe the surroundings, the current activities and a group of prisoners called "Canada," who are responsible for unloading and processing transport prisoners. The focus shifts to one of the barracks, where several of the prisoners are eating. The food has either been sent from family members outside the camp or confiscated from prisoners who recently arrived in transports.

The reader is introduced to two prisoners: Henri, "the fat Frenchman," and the narrator of the story. Though he is never named, it's believed that the narrator is a deputy Kapo, Vorarbeiter Tadeusz. The two casually discuss food and clothing they hope to acquire from the next batch of transport prisoners. The casualness of their conversation is almost alarming.

Henri and the narrator are interrupted by the Block Elder's call for "Canada" to begin assembling and marching to the transport ramp, where they will receive more incoming prisoners. Henri, a member of Canada, invites Tadeusz, who is not, to come along and help. Tadeusz agrees to go. The two fall into formation, and Canada marches to the transport ramp. Tadeusz uses this opportunity to describe in more detail the activities and layout of the camp.

Once at the transport ramp, Canada is divided into groups. Some will help pull prisoners off the transport and collect their belongings, while other will help load them onto trucks. All the while, more camp guards and S.S. soldiers are arriving to help oversee the process. The transports finally begin arriving, and the prisoners are matter-of-factly processed and sent either to the labor camp or gas chamber.

Tadeusz has face-to-face encounters with several prisoners, but he refuses to tell any of them what's really happening or where they're really going. He tells the reader that it's the law of the labor camp. The only "charitable" thing to do is not tell people they're about to die.

The transport is finally emptied and cleaned, and the reader sees, for the first time, evidence of Tadeusz' struggle with this process. His hunger and exhaustion make him angry. His anger is not directed at the guards or soldiers, but at the transport prisoners. It is, after all, their fault that he's out in the sun and heat, taking part in such abhorrent activities.

Just as the Canada group is finishing its work, a whistle blows, and another transport rolls slowly to the ramp. The process begins anew. Tadeusz encounters young women, old men and crippled children, all being "processed" as though they were livestock. The guards and soldiers show no emotion except anger fueled by impatience when the Canada group isn't working hard enough or when the prisoners give them trouble.

Tadeusz comes face to face with many of the incoming prisoners, but he only talks in length about one in particular. She's a young girl who, though she has arrived by the same transport as the others, is described as though she has been untouched by the horror or physical grime of the transport. Borowski's description of her makes her sound as though she's just stepped off the London Underground on her way to work. She is neat, put-together, calm. She looks Tadeusz in the eye and demands to know what's going to happen to her. When he refuses to answer, she, of her own free will, boards one of the trucks bound for the gas chamber. Throughout the day and most of the night, the Canada group helps to process incoming prisoners. When all is said and done, S.S. guards estimate they have processed 15,000 people. Most were sent to the gas chamber.

As the Canada group is marched back to their barracks, Tadeusz reflects on all that has happened. He comes to the disturbing but accurate conclusion that these 15,000 people will only be remembered for the possessions they have left behind. Their possessions will be divided among the surviving prisoners. He concludes that the Sosnowiec-Bedzin transport (each transport is named for its city of origin) will simply be remembered as a "good, rich transport." The people themselves will not be remembered at all. He also notices that the crematoria are already hard at work and that "Sosnowiec-Bedzin is already burning." The Canada group continues marching to their barracks as the sun begins to rise.