Chapters 1-5 Summary and Analysis

"The Pianist" by Wladyslaw Szpilman tells the true story of a Jewish pianist who lived in Warsaw, Poland during World War II. This is the story of his family and of his survival during the war as the Germans invaded his city.

In Chapter 1, Wladyslaw began his wartime career as a pianist in the Café Nowoczesna. This was in the heart of the Warsaw ghetto. In November of 1940, the gates of the ghetto closed. By this time his family had sold everything they possibly could, including his piano. Even though life was tough, he was happy to have work.

Work for Wladyslaw began in the afternoon. As he walked to work, sometimes he avoided smugglers by going near the wall. The walls were not solid along the road. There were long openings through which water from the Aryan part...