We Were the Lucky Ones

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017

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Part 2, Chapters 15-17Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2, Chapter 15 Summary: “Addy, The Mediterranean - January 15, 1941”

Addy is in Marseilles, waiting to board one of the last passenger ships allowed to leave with refugees. Addy looks around, hoping to see some of his family, but he realizes it is futile. He sent letters, begging his mother to try and get the family to France, but he knows that was a hopeful dream. Addy has heard from a few Polish refugees about conditions back home and can’t bear the thought of his family suffering in that way. Addy himself was lucky in having secured his visa from the Brazilian ambassador in Vichy. He writes one last letter to his mother, letting his family know that he is heading for Rio de Janeiro.

Addy leaves his tiny second-class cabin on the ship and walks through the crowd of refugees. He imagines how crowded it must be down in steerage. Half of the passengers are Jews, with the others mostly Spaniards fleeing Franco, French socialists, and other “undesirables” who seek safety and a new life. Most have left behind loved ones, but now that they are onboard the ship, the mood has brightened: “With the Alsina set to sail at 1700 hours, the air suddenly smells of hope, and freedom” (117).

At the end of the ship, Addy finds a door to the first-class music lounge. He sneaks in and is thrilled to discover a grand piano in the lavish room. Addy closes his eyes and launches into a Chopin waltz, remembering when he played this for his family when he was 12. Addy opens his eyes and is surprised to see that a small crowd has gathered, wealthy passengers who applaud and call for more. Addy plays until the ship’s horn blares, signaling their departure. He and the others move to the deck and watch the shore disappear.

Addy becomes a regular in the music lounge, where other musicians come to play and more than a hundred guests listen. A young woman has caught his eye, always in the company of an older woman who appears to be her mother. One night, Addy gets up the nerve to introduce himself to the mother, who reluctantly introduces herself and her daughter, Eliska Lowbeer. They are Czechoslovakian. Madame Lowbeer clearly does not approve when Addy says he is Polish, but Eliska is charming and happy to chat with Addy until her mother whisks her away.

Part 2, Chapter 16 Summary: “Genek and Herta, Altynay, Siberia - February 1941”

Genek and Herta suffer through their first Siberian winter. Everything in their barracks is frozen, and they are constantly aching with cold, though they were lucky enough to have brought their winter coats from Lvov.

It took 42 days to reach Siberia in the foul train car, then another two days of walking in the August heat to get to the barracks. Soviet authorities told the group that it would never return to Poland. Genek initially refused to believe this, but as time goes on, he begins to doubt their future. He feels crushing guilt that his pride has landed them in this camp: “The worst of it, though, the piece that tormented Genek more than any other, was the fact that it wasn’t just his wife for whom he was accountable anymore” (124). Herta has been pregnant since they left Lvov, though she did not realize it. Now she must prepare to give birth in the middle of a Siberian winter.

Genek begs Herta not to go out to woods to cut timber, which is the main job in the camp, but she insists: If they do not work, they do not get food rations. Genek tries to think of a way to escape but feels hopeless.

Part 2, Chapter 17 Summary: “Addy, Dakar, West Africa - March 1941”

Addy and Eliska are sitting on the beach, an hour’s walk from Dakar. For two months, British authorities have detained their ship in Senegal since France is no longer a member of the Allies. Addy is anxious because his visa will expire soon.

The attitudes of Eliska and the other passengers towards the local people surprises Addy, considering racism was the reason they all had to flee. Addy is the only one who enjoys befriending shopkeepers and mingling with the Senegalese.

Eliska wants to swim, despite the signs of sharks in the waters, but Addy says they have to get back to the ship because they promised a sentry they would not break curfew. Addy and Eliska have become very close, despite her mother’s disapproval that Addy is Polish: “Eliska’s mother has made it quite clear that there is nothing acceptable about Addy courting her daughter” (130). Addy is sure that he can win her over.

As they walk, Eliska reminisces about her childhood in Czechoslovakia and summers in Provence, while Addy tells stories about Paris. Addy wants to tell her about his family, about how worried he is about their whereabouts and safety. However, every time he tries, Eliska tells him that he looks sad when he talks about his family. She tells him, “I’m sure they’re fine, Addy. Let’s only talk of the things that make us happy. The things we have to look forward to” (131).

As they approach the ship, Addy glances at the headlines of the newspapers, reading that the war in Europe worsens, with more countries fallen to the Axis powers. Addy realizes that it will soon be Passover, the third Passover he has been away from his family. Addy feels a crush of sadness, though he attempts to hide it from Eliska, with whom he is falling in love.

Part 2, Chapters 15-17 Analysis

In these chapters, the theme of survivor’s luck surfaces. Unlike the rest of his family, Addy is enjoying a sense of safety and a return to something like civilized life once he boards the ship bound for Brazil. He fills his life back up with music and even a new romance with a beautiful, wealthy young woman passenger: “It had felt so good to flirt with her. It had felt so—normal” (122). The motif of music continues, and music again comforts Addy. Chopin emerges as a symbol of musical significance, calling back to a time when Addy played for his family. The waltz of this Polish composer reassures Addy and connects him to his absent family and homeland.

Even when their ship is detained in Senegal for months, Addy is able to concentrate on his present happiness with Eliska. He is terribly worried about his family, not knowing where they are or if they are even still alive. The thought of the upcoming Passover Seder saddens Addy, as it reminds him of the time and distance between him and his family. However, Eliska constantly admonishes him to not dwell on sad thoughts: “And so, he’s humored her and […] let himself be distracted, catching in their frivolous chatter a moment’s relief from the crushing weight of the unknown” (131). This is a tremendous luxury that Addy savors.

In stark contrast, Genek cannot help but worry about the present and future. He and Herta have been thrust into crushing deprivation in a Siberian labor camp, tortured by extreme cold and terrible living conditions. Herta is pregnant and will soon have to give birth in the middle of the freezing winter. Genek desperately tries to think of some way to improve their circumstances: “Blinking into the darkness, he makes a silent promise, that this will be the first and last winter they spend in this frozen hellhole” (125). Genek is powerless, his self-determination completely stripped from him, in life circumstances different from those enjoyed by Addy. Genek and Herta’s living conditions illustrate the theme of struggling to survive in war-torn Europe.