The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas Essay

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Recommended: Treatment in Nazi concentration camps

In John Boyne’s The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas, main protagonist Bruno, is an innocent character who witnesses the horrors that his father is causing. Despite the challenges that Bruno faces, he learns that people are people – even if they have a different race, as he befriends a prisoner at the concentration camp. A disapproving friendship occurs between Bruno (German) and Shmuel (Polish (Jew)). Bruno and Shmuel come from two completely different worlds, but share a remarkable friendship. They share many things in common, including their birthdays. They both were very much aware that if anyone found out about their friendship, they would get into terrible trouble. The first example of friendship occurs when Bruno meets Shmuel at the fence, …show more content…

The Jews were locked up in the concentration camps without reason, apart from being Jewish. They were then sent to a room to be ‘mass murdered’ by the …show more content…

Jews were receiving indescribable treatment by the German soldiers. The soldiers believed that they had every right to treat the Jews with no respect at all, as they were “Just slaves” to them. It came as a shock to Gretel and Bruno, when Lieutenant Kotler spoke in a rude manner and called Pavel awful names. Bruno was aware that “In his heart, he knew that there was no reason to be impolite to someone, even if they did work for you. There was such a thing as manners after all.” “You’re a Jew? You can’t be. I think I should go now.” Bruno realizes that if Shmuel is a Jew, he should not be talking to him as they would be in great trouble. Once the boys got to know each other, Bruno notices that these people are people after all and they were not what his father had referred them to. Ultimately, The Boy in The Striped Pajamas consisted of lots of racial discrimination. Bruno began to see the treatment that Shmuel and the other people were getting. Although Bruno’s father was informing him of all the discrimination and prejudice going against these people, Bruno did not care because he was entitled to his own

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