Chapter summary Why we Ttook the car / Tschick written by Wolfgang Herrndorf
Use this complete and detailed summary as a study guide when reading Tschick or the English translation Why we took the car.
This summary describes all chapters of the book and explains the themes
Contents of this document:
- Summary per chapter
- Theme list
- Discussion of the main characters
- Time and space
Chapter 1
The main character, Maik, is at the police station. He wonders where his friend Tschick has gone but
decides not to say anything about him, just to be sure. It smells like blood and coffee. The blood turns
out to be his own blood, and he notices that he has also wet his pants. Maik thinks of Tatjana, the
prettiest girl in class, and realizes that he should ask for a lawyer, as he once heard on TV. However,
he is a bit afraid that the policemen will laugh at him if he asks for a lawyer. When he notices that he
has injured his calf, he faints.
Chapter 2
When Maik opens his eyes again, he is no longer at the police station. He doesn't actually know
exactly where he is, at least not in Berlin. Everything is white and sterile. He soon realizes that he
must be in a hospital. He feels a little weak but is not in pain. That's because he got Valium, which
makes him feel happy. He has a nice, dark room in the hospital. A doctor treats him and tries to find
out about the accident, without success. Maik falls asleep again. Far away, he hears voices, the doctor
and the police officer yelling at each other. The doctor does not allow the police officer to enter his
room. The doctor and the policeman are sitting at the end of his bed. He doesn't like that. When the
doctor asks Maik for his name, he does not know if he should answer. Before he can consider what to
do, he falls asleep again.
Chapter 3
Maik actually likes being in the hospital. The caring nurses are not only young and beautiful, but also
super friendly. After all, he does not have to do anything and he is well taken care of. The nurses are
young and pretty, and he can see their underwear through their uniforms. His favorite nurse is Hanna;
she wears normal underwear and gives him a new nickname every day, like Maiki or Maikipaiki, for
example. He often talks to her because he hardly gets any visitors. He not only finds Hanna very
beautiful but also very nice, and he enjoys the conversations with her. Maik wonders why he can talk
so well with women like Hanna, while he finds it difficult with girls his own age.
Chapter 4
Maik is still in the hospital, and the doctor is slowly driving him crazy. Every day, the doctor reassures
him, saying, "It will be alright, there will be no more than a scar." "Yes, of course," Maik thinks. He
replies agitatedly when the doctor keeps asking him what happened. The doctor wants to know
everything, but Maik hesitates to confide in the doctor and tell him about the trip with Tschick. The
only thing Maik wants to tell is that he wanted to go to the 'Walachei' together with Tschick. Of
course, the doctor has professional secrecy, but will that still apply if, just like last time, the policeman
gets angry again, starts shouting, and asks questions about Maik?
Chapter 5:
Maik realizes that, apart from the nickname "Psycho" he had in sixth grade, he has never had another
nickname. He never really had any friends, except for Paul, who didn't like gaming but loved being in
nature. They would climb watchtowers or draw naked women in meadows. However, Maik had lost
contact with Paul after he left for the countryside, and since then, Maik had no friends or nicknames.
He enjoys talking about Tatjana Cosic, a girl he had a crush on, his secret love from school. He speaks
affectionately about Tatjana.
, Chapter 6:
Maik shares about his mother, who is an alcoholic and often goes to the "beauty farm" (a euphemism
for rehab). In an essay he wrote in sixth grade, he described his mother's life in great detail. His
teacher and classmates reacted with horror, as Maik described the rehab clinic as a beauty farm. This
essay made Maik an outsider, and he was stared at by others. Gossip about the subject of his essay
spread like wildfire throughout the school, and everyone became aware of Maik's family
circumstances.
Chapter 7:
André Langin was the heartthrob of the school. Despite having to redo a class, nobody cared because
he was popular with the most desirable girls in school, and boys either admired him or considered
him a competitor. Maik's situation also improved after André's arrival, as he lost his nickname
"Psycho" and was simply called Maik Klingenberg again. André had asked why Maik was called Psycho
and didn't think it was a good fit. From that moment on, Maik was no longer called Psycho.
Chapter 8:
Maik is one of the smallest boys in his school, but he excels in high jump even better than guys who
are taller than him. The girls watch and cheer for the high jumpers, especially André. Maik jumps so
high that he breaks the school record. He eagerly awaits the cheers, imagining how the girls will
cheer and be happy. However, when he jumps, no one is watching, and even his crush Tatjana looks
the other way. Maik realizes that he won't be known as "Air Klingenberg" as he had hoped.
Chapter 9
The Easter holidays are over, and on the first day of school, there is a new student, Tschick, a Russian-
German, who is now part of Maik's class. The teacher cannot pronounce his surname but mentions
that Tschick came to Germany with his brother four years ago. However, where he came from is not
clear. Even on the first day, Tschick makes no secret of the fact that he is not averse to alcohol. The
history teacher, Mr. Wagenbach, practically has to drag him into the classroom, where Tschick sits
silently in his chair, not bothering to hide the smell of alcohol. Like Maik, Tschick is ignored by his
classmates, but that doesn't stop everyone from being curious and keeping a close eye on him.
Tschick turns out to be a weirdo who doesn't care, and despite not being liked by anyone, after he
threatens the class with the Russian mafia, no one bothers him anymore.
Chapter 10
The teacher returns the math grades, and unsurprisingly, Tschick got a 6 (the lowest possible grade in
Germany). He drunkenly falls off his chair and is sent out of class by the teacher. When he reaches the
hallway, he vomits from the alcohol. Furthermore, it is revealed in this chapter that Tschick is actually
called André and, contrary to what his math test suggests, is not stupid at all. The teachers suspect
that his bad grades are mainly due to his alcohol consumption and lack of interest. Tschick is the
opposite of Maik, living what seems to be an adventurous life and not really worrying about anything.
Maik finds it fascinating but also annoying.
Chapter 11
In German lessons, Tschick draws attention again. Maik's class has to write an interpretation about
Bertold Brecht. Mr. Kaltwasser, the German teacher, asks Tschick to present his homework. After just
a few sentences, it becomes apparent that his text has nothing to do with Brecht or the assignment.
Instead of reciting Brecht, Tschick had written an exciting story about Mr. Kaltwasser. He proudly
reads it aloud, but it is a very muddled story, as if it were poorly translated, and Mr. Kaltwasser is
obviously not happy about it.
Chapter 12
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