An image that strikes me is when Yanek is finally freed from the camp and the Americans had sent them to live in Munich for a while. After he reached the place where the prisoners and some American soldiers would be staying, an American showed Yanek where his bed would be. The prisoners received fresh sheets, blankets, and pillows. Everyone in that room had forgotten what it was like to have those, they didn’t know what to do with them. This was probably when it first started to feel like they were actually freed. They were out of those inhumane awful conditions. On top of that, the prisoners were given a cup, a washcloth, and a toothbrush. Although these items are thought of as abundant, they were so special to all the prisoners, especially Yanek. He had been trying to keep his dignity, his last piece of being human. He had tried since the very early years in those camps. Yanek had woken up early and washed himself, and he tried to clean his teeth. He wanted to remember how to be a regular person, and now that he finally got such a gadget that would be unthinkable if he were still held prisoner. This image striked me because it was so important to Yanek. It meant that he was not only getting his freedom back, but he now knew he was a person. He had been doing without a toothbrush or other hygienic equipment, and now he finally has it. The toothbrush symbolizes his new life. He could be clean, healthy, and happy in the future. Yanek was being treated as a person, not a slave to the Nazis. Yanek could take his life back. He wasn’t just surviving and putting all of his thoughts into working and not being killed, but rather he could grow and start a new life. Now he was a free man.