John Boyne’s “The boy in The Striped Payjamas” narrates the story of a German family during horrifying period of the Holocaust. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas setting is during World War II in Germany and the main character is a young boy named Bruno. His father was a commandant during the Nazi-Germany period. Bruno's life is flipped around when they move to what he supposes is called 'Out With' which we later discover is Auschwitz, a concentration camp in Poland. The greater part of this misery closes when he meets another companion, a prohibited companion, Shmuel, who lives on the other side of the wall. The book, which was actually written on 2006, shows how past political matters can influence the writing of a literary work. Therefore, …show more content…
The time was chaotic and prejudiced as well as biased matters surround Germany and affected other countries. The setting importantly influenced the story. Boyne said “ ‘No, not them,' said Bruno. ‘The people I see from the window. In the huts, in the distance. They're all dressed the same'” (Boyne, 53). The quotation, said by Bruno, gives us a sense on how and where the story took place. Bruno described the place where Jews were kept as “huts” which we understand as the concentration camps were they were burned to death. Bruno also mentions that the people he saw were all dressed the same. And according to The Holocaust Explained, “On arrival at concentration camps prisoners had their clothing taken away, often to be replaced by a striped uniform (now known as striped Pajamas)”. Furthermore, the setting of Boyne’s “The Boy in The Striped Pajamas influenced the story immensely. During the time period, and the location a lot of events were happening that influenced the …show more content…
During the period many political disputes such as World War 2, and Nazism influenced many authors to write about the current issue. And John Boyne’s “The Boy in The Striped Pajamas” was mainly influenced on the political disputes of the time. On one section of the book, Hitler visits Bruno’s home on a dinner. “Father: I'm a solider. Soldiers fight a war. Mother: That's not war! Father: It's a vital part of it!” The dialogue between Bruno’s parents mentions that Bruno’s father is a soldier, and that he is up to fight for Hitler. In response to the dialogue, Bruno says the following “Heil Hitler," he said, which, he presumed, was another way of saying, "Well, goodbye for now, have a pleasant afternoon” (Boyne, 54). According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary “The Nazi salute or Hitler salute was a gesture of greeting in Nazi Germany.” The meaning of Bruno’s words were sarcastic and somewhat ironic. Political disputes influenced the story because characters such as Bruno’s father and Hitler itself were termed as soldiers, and leaders we can recognize
“The Holocaust: 36 Questions & Answers About the Holocaust.” 36 Questions & Answers About the Holocaust. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014
In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, a young naive boy, Bruno, tells from his perspective how the occurrences in the Holocaust took place. In 1943, the beginning of the story, Bruno’s father, a commandant in Hitler’s army, is promoted and moves to Oswiecim with his family. Oswiecim is home to the hideous Auschwitz Concentration Camp. While Bruno is out playing near a fence at the edge of Auschwitz Concentration Camp, against his father’s orders, he becomes friends with a young Jewis...
The Boy In The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is a fictional/historical novel has been A New York Times Bestseller and been given the Bisto book of the year award of 2006. This Book is about the Holocaust and how the jews were treated during this time period though the eyes of a young nine year old boy who is the son of a nazi commander. John Boyce has written many other Historical books including The House of Special Purpose and Stay Where You Are Then Leave.
Throughout war, there have always been an effort to stop the involvement of the innocent. A big effort of this is towards children who were unfortunately stuck in conflict and sometimes join the conflict. John Boyne's book “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” helps shines light on social issues that are plaguing countries and communities today. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a touching story about the innocence of children in times of conflict shown by Bruno's lack of hate for Jews, Shmuel's kindness towards Bruno, and their commitment to each other in times of war.
The book The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne is about a young boy, Bruno, whose father is a soldier in the German army during WWII. Bruno lives with his parents and his older sister, Gretel. They live in a five story house in Berlin. He goes to school and has three best friends that he goes on adventures with. One day he comes home to find their maid packing his things. They move to a three story house in Germany because his dad was promoted and needs to be closer to his work.
The films The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Schindler 's List recall a dark and devastating time in history known as the Holocaust. Amid the barbaric German Nazi invasions, are where we find the main characters of these two films. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas tells the story of Bruno, a son of German Nazi soldier who befriends an inmate at a nearby concentration camp. For weeks, Bruno shares stories, food, and comforts the inmate, Shmuel, despite his parent’s orders and German upbringing. Bruno has grown up exposed to the Nazi propaganda, however his German upbringing does not create hostility or resentment toward this Jewish boy, but instead compassion. Similarly, Oskar Schindler, a German business man saved the lives of thousands of Jewish prisoners by arranging them to work in his factory. Both Oskar Schindler and Bruno did not allow neither their collective identity as Germans nor their pro-Nazi culture, to become central to their own individual identity and morals. They did not allow the constraints or “expectations of others”, in a German sense, to make them act
"History of the Holocaust - An Introduction." Jewish Virtual Library - Homepage. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Web. 8 July 2010. .
When reading Night, it isn’t hard to notice that the main character of the story was a real person that was victimized by this situation during his time; who also happens to be the author of the story. Although the main character of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is fictional, both of these illustrate vivid examples of the circumstances of the Holocaust; inside, and outside of the barbed wire fences.
Boyne, John. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. New York: Random House Inc., 2006. Print.
This film portrays one of humanity’s greatest modern tragedies, through heartache and transgression, reflecting various themes throughout the movie. Beyond the minor themes some seem to argue as more important in the film, the theme of friendship and love is widely signified and found to be fundamental in understanding the true meaning behind The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Director Mark Herman presents a narrative film that attests to the brutal, thought-provoking Nazi regime, in war-torn Europe. It is obvious that with Herman’s relatively clean representation of this era, he felt it was most important to resonate with the audience in a profound and philosophical manner rather than in a ruthlessly infuriating way. Despite scenes that are more graphic than others, the film's objective was not to recap on the awful brutality that took place in camps such as the one in the movie.
Bruno, an eight year old boy at the time of the war, is completely oblivious to the atrocities of the war around him - even with a father who is a Nazi commandant. The title of the book is evidence to this - Bruno perceives the concentration camp uniforms as "striped pajamas." Further evidence is the misnomers "the Fury," (the Furher) and "Out-With" (Auschwitz). Bruno and Shmuel, the boy he meets from Auschwitz, share a great deal in common but perhaps what is most striking is the childhood innocence which characterizes both boys. Bruno is unaware that his father is a Nazi commandant and that his home is on ther periphery of Auschwitz. Shmuel, imprisoned in the camp, seems not to understand the severity of his situation. When his father goes missing, Shmuel does not understand that he has gone to the gas chamber.
"A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust-Victims." A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust-Victims. University of South Florida. Web. 19 May 2014.
Instead of “Auschwitz”, Bruno called it “Out-With”. After Boyne had added this term into his book, I felt as though he took Bruno’s naïvete way too far. John Boyne’s book, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, shouldn’t be used as a teaching tool for the Holocaust. It is far too inappropriate and disgraceful for such a grave topic. The Holocaust was full of atrocities.
Imagine waking up on a normal day, in your normal house, in your normal room. Imagine if you knew that that day, you would be taken away from your normal life, and forced to a life of death, sickness, and violence. Imagine seeing your parents taken away from you. Imagine watching your family walk into their certain death. Imagine being a survivor. Just think of the nightmares that linger in your mind. You are stuck with emotional pain gnawing at your sanity. These scenerios are just some of the horrific things that went on between 1933-1945, the time of the Holocaust. This tragic and terrifying event has been written about many times. However, this is about one particularly fascinating story called The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.
‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ is told through the eyes of an eight year old boy shielded from the reality of World War II.