-
Vladek meets Lucia
Vladek, a Jewish textile worker living in Czestochowa is introduced to Lucia by his friend Yulek. He takes her out, and sees her a few more times, but decides he is uninterested. This is difficult for him for, apparently, she has difficulty letting him go. -
Vladek visits his family and meets Anja
For the holidays, Vladek travelled home to Sosnowiec; here his cousin introduces him to Anja. There is an immediate spark and they continue to write immediately after his return. He also breaks things off with Lucia aftrer he returns for her, a very dramatic ordeal. -
Vladek is married to Anja
After a little over a year of seeing each other, Vladek and Anja decide to get engaged in december 1936. This is accompanied by Vladek's move to Sosnowiec, and eventually their marriage. -
Vladeks father in law provides funds for a factory
Anja's father provides Vladek with a large sum of money to start a factory. This money provided has the textile factory in Bielsko up and running by October. -
Vladek's son Richieu is born
Just as his business begins to succeed, he has a son to provide for. At this point his life is heading down a fairly positive-seeming path. -
Vladek and Anja travel to the Sanitarium
Following child birth, Anja struggles with depression. This leads to the decision to send her to a well regarded mental hospital. It is on this trip that they first see the Nazi flag in person, a truly scarring sight. Their visit to the hospital lasts 3 months until Anja is better. Following their return it is evident that the Nazi's have been gaining power. -
Vladek is drafted for World War II
When Vladek recieves a letter from the Polish government about being drafted, he convinces Anja to take their son and go to her father. He goes to battle after very minimal training, arriving on 09/01/1939. He is quickly taken as a war prisoner to a camp. Here he experiences some discrimination for his religion. -
Parshas Truma
After signing up to move to a different labor camp, where they are in fact subject to better conditions, Vladek hears his father one night in a dream. He notifies him that on the date of Parshas Trumas in the Jewish calendar, he will be free. Once this date comes, the prophecy comes true, and they are let free. After some difficulty over the journey, he makes it home. -
Vladek is sent to a ghetto
Following the new rules set by the Germans, Vladek and his family are forced to relocate to a ghetto. Here they receive somewhat better treatment for their money and rank in society, yet conditions still are miserable. They experience a few close calls for participating in the black market that had developed. They are forced to separate from their grandparents, and eventually other members of their family here. Finally they are moved to another ghetto in Srodula in 1943. -
As conditions get more miserable, Vladeks family decides to send Richieu away
The Germans have been making life in the ghettos so that the Jews must jump through more and more hoops to stay alive. His relative Persis comes to the house to suggest and assist with the task. Unknowingly this is the last time they shall see him. Meanwhile more and more Jews are being taken from their lives to the concentration camps. -
The ghetto Richieu had been moved to is invaded
The person watching over the kids poisons all three of them then herself so that they dont have to suffer the misery of the concentration camps. -
In the bunker, Vladek and his family are betrayed and sent away
Having stayed safe in a bunker in Srodula despite the majority of the ghetto having been emptied, a Jew finds his family in their bunker and reports them to the Gestapo. They are taken to a place to be held, then saved by his cousin for a price. He is then assisted in finding a job reparing shoes. -
The Germans prepare to empty Srodula
As the ghetto grew emptier, the Nazis prepared to send the remaining Jews to Auschwitz. Realizing this, Vladeks cousin Pesach and Miloch prepare a new bunker to hide in. Emotions run high as the majority of the family is gone, and presumably dead. Many in the bunker unsuccessfuly try to work out a plan with the Germans to escape. Finally, the remaining survivors disguise themselves as Polish people and leave the ghetto, Vladek and Anja making their way back so Sosnowiec. -
Mrs. Motonowa
Once he arrives at Sosnowiec, Vladek and Anja find refuge in a farm. He begins going to the black market to trade goods, where he meets Mrs. Motonowa. They eventually move in with her in search of a warmer place to stay. However, they soon have to leave out of fear of a search by the Gestapo. -
The Smugglers
After leaving Mrs. Motonowa's, Vladek and Anja return to Kawka's farm. She informs them of some smugglers who assisted Jews she knew in escaping Poland. They return back to Mrs. Motonowa's with this in mind. He meets with the smugglers and some old friends and decides that their nephew shall go and if he mails back safely, they will follow. -
The Betrayal
After they receive a letter from his friend's nephew, Vladek and Anja prepare to depart. He directs his cousin Miloch to the place he had been staying, where he and his family manage to survive the duration of the war. On the train, they are arrested by Gestapo, for it is soon revealed that the letter was forced. They are soon sent to Auschwitz from there. Here Anja and Vladek were separated. -
Connections are Key
After demonstrating his fulency in English and Polish, Vladek begins to assist a Polish official wishing to learn English. For this he earns some protection and better conditions (such as more food). Eventually he helps him get a job as a tinman, where he can make trades with Polish workers. -
Mancie, the Messenger
During his work as a tinman, Vladek meets a Hungarian named Mancie. After they meet, she agrees to seek out Anja and tell him what she can. This becomes more consistent; she passes notes, food, and messages between them throughout some of their imprisonment, with no charge. She does this out of her good nature, despite the great amount of risk it could put her in. -
Vladek Visits Birkenau
When Vladek overhears Nazi officials come requesting a few tinmen to work on women's roofing in Birkenau, he requests to Yidl, the communist tinman in charge, that he be out on this job. Here he sees Anja for the first time in months. -
Vladek the Cobbler
When he hears there may be a position opening to fix shoes, Vladek rushes to claim it. After receiving this job he hears of new woman's barracks in Auschwitz. He saves up a fortune in bribes for Anja to move there. This better period with a decent job ends when he has to begin "black work," or tedious manual labor. -
Once a tinman, Always a tinman
As the end of the war approaches, and the Jews begin to hear the front growing nearer to the camp, the highly ranked Germans begin to evecuate. They need many tinmen to help them take apart some of the buildings to leave little trace of their horrid legacy. They have a plan to hide as the rest of the camp is evacuated in hope of survival. However, this plan is abandoned once they learn that the camp is to be destroyed after evacuation. -
The train
Having departed from Auschwitz, they arrive at Gross-Rosen, where there are no gas chambers. They leave here and get on a train, where Vladek is resourceful and uses his blanket to give him more space. Eventually the train stops and many die, yet Vladek survives. It becomes clear that the trains destination is Dachau. -
The Infirmary
In Dachau, Vladek attempts to exploit and make worse an infection in his hand so he may stay in the infirmary. This is because of the better conditions and more food they gave there. After leaving the infirmary and returning to the normal horrid conditions, he gets sick with typhus. -
Was I Dreaming Only?
Once again in the infirmary, as he has became very ill with typhus, the prisoners are informed that all that are strong enough to walk will be freed as war prisoners. On the way to the border, they find out that the Americans are coming and that the war is won. After being freed, they are stopped by rogue Nazi groups still hunting out Jews after the war, but escaped both times. Finally the Americans come, putting them in a displaced persons' camp. -
The Post War Reunion
After leaving the displaced persons' camp with Shivek, from before the war, they travel to Hannover, where Shivek still knows some people. From there, Vladek travels to Belsen, then Sosnowiec, where he once again finds Anja. -
A New Life in Sweden
Following their new freedom, Vladek and Anja establish a life in Sweden. Here, Vladek starts a business selling hosiery items. They stay for a few years. -
Vladek and Anja obtain their Visas
With the help of Anja's brother Herman, Vladek and Anja get their visas to the United States. Here he started a business selling diamonds. As their new life begins in America, they have Artie. -
Anja's Suicide
Throughout her development, Vladek portrayed that Anja struggled with some issues of depression. This existed before the war, when they went to the sanitarium, and it existed during and after. After having lived in the United States for 2 decades, Anja takes her life. This has a scarring effect on Vladek, and will stick with him for the remainder of his life. Soon after, he marries Mala, who he does not like close to as much as he liked Anja. -
Vladek's Death
Vladek eventually dies of heart failure. This had been evident as he was diabetic and his heart was very weak.
