I have read many books in my lifetime. One of the main books that I have enjoyed is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. The book is about the friendship of two nine-year-old boys, Shmuel, who is Jewish, and Bruno, a German, that share the same birthday in 1940s Nazi Germany. In this paper, I will talk about what this Holocaust genre novel is about and the symbolism that is latent in this documented horror, seen through a child’s eyes.
In the book, Bruno is upset when he finds out that his family is moving from the fancy life in Berlin to a place in the countryside called Auschwitz. This place is a concentration camp in World War II, a structure of Nazi Germany and an extermination camp managed by the 3rd Reich in Poland. He notices that in this
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First, we read a lot the words “out” and “with” instead “Auschwitz” through the voices of Bruno and Gretel. They don’t notice that Germans are killing Jews: “When Bruno asks, Gretel says, ‘Out with the people who lived here before us, I expect.’" (3.25) -. The second symbol that is evident are the striped pajamas. They remind us of the hard dissimilarities between Germans and Jews. Clothes are made for self-definition, a means of letting the globe who we are. Removing by force the clothes is a way of assaulting their personal honor. The banded pajamas are one of the many German methods of controlling their hostages. Another image from the storyline is Bruno’s bedroom window. That window is the eyes of Bruno’s conscience: “He put his face to the glass and saw what was out there […] his hands stayed by his sides because something made him feel very cold and unsafe.” (2.20). Through the glass, Bruno sees the war camp and his captives. This window is the symbol of the innocence, purity, and impeccability for our little boy and he starts to question what is that odd building and is not happy living in darkness. The last symbol is the fence that separates the two worlds: “Here was a huge wire fence that ran along the length of the house […] the fence was very high, higher even than the house they were standing in […]” (4.31). The wall represents the horrid terror of the Jewish massacre by the Germans. Crossing that fence can execute you. …show more content…
The German child’s father is the leader of the military of the camp, and as a result is in charge. This drama explores the evils of the times through the main characters of the book, Bruno, and Shmuel. Furthermore, some may even see that their impersonation has multiple purposes, that of eyewitness, executioner, opponent, or martyr. This is an amazing novel. I would put in a good word for anyone who enjoys survival. I will end with a quote by the English poet, John Betjeman: “Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason
The main character of the novel is a thirteen-year-old boy named Eliezer. He and his family were taken from their home and placed in a concentration camp. He was separated from his mother and sisters during the selection once they arrived in the camp. His father was the only family he had left with him to face the inhumane environment of the camp. Many of the prisoners lost the will to live due to the conditions.
Throughout the years 1933 to 1945, it was a frightening experience with innocent people involved. These innocent victims went through such a terrifying life-changing experience. Evil soldiers caused a mass murder that ruined the lives of so many people who could have never imagined this happening. The novels, Night and Prisoner B-3087, which give a better understanding what happened during the Holocaust, provide a lot of information and comparisons for the reader to have a better comprehension of what actually happened during this tragic and unfortunate event. These novels, Night and Prisoner B-3087, also allow the reader to have a visual of this heart-shattering event. The three main comparisons that can be recognized are character development, plot, and theme.
Many different responses have occurred to readers after their perusal of this novel. Those that doubt the stories of the holocaust’s reality see Night as lies and propaganda designed to further the myth of the holocaust. Yet, for those people believing in the reality, the feelings proffered by the book are quite different. Many feel outrage at the extent of human maliciousness towards other humans. Others experience pity for the loss of family, friends, and self that is felt by the Holocaust victims.
This book is called Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. Two of the main characters are Bruno and Shmuel. The placements of the book are Poland and Auschwitz. Bruno and Shmuel are both eight years old and have the same birthday. Although, they have their differences between each other. Bruno and Shmuel are different than alike because Bruno thinks life is jolly and happy for everyone. Shmuel, on the other hand, sees reality in life. Shmuel lifestyle is lower class. Bruno lifestyle is upper class. Bruno has freedom because of his religion. Shmuel is caged in and has so little freedom because of his beliefs.
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
Children have often been viewed as innocent and innocent may be a nicer way to call children naive. Since children’s lives are so worry free they lack the knowledge of how to transition from being a child to becoming an adolescent. Their lack of knowledge may be a large part of their difficulties growing up, which could be a few rough years for many. In books like the boy in the striped pajamas the story is told from the point of view of a little boy, this way we get a full view of how innocent he is. In this book the writer shows the reader first hand how a child viewed the holocaust and how his innocence cost him his life. Then in books like the perks of being a wallflower Charlie is a teen whom is struggling with the transition from being a child to becoming an adolescent. In this book the writer gives a first hand look at how difficult it can be to transition into an adolescent. Charlie has many difficulties in this book; he is in search of his identity and how to fit in.
A story of a young boy and his father as they are stolen from their home in Transylvania and taken through the most brutal event in human history describes the setting. This boy not only survived the tragedy, but went on to produce literature, in order to better educate society on the truth of the Holocaust. In Night, the author, Elie Wiesel, uses imagery, diction, and foreshadowing to describe and define the inhumanity he experienced during the Holocaust.
This book takes place during World War II in Hungarian Transylvania and in different concentration camps. The story begins at Eliezer’s home which is an apartment in a town called Sighet. Other settings in the book are the different concentration camps where Eliezer and his father are prisoners. In every location, Eliezer learns how to survive and grows more into a man.
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.
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.
For example, as a German soldier, Ralf prioritizes his work for the military over his own family which results in having little time to spend with Bruno. Gretel, Bruno’s sister, acts as the mature, yet ignorant, sibling in the family as she tosses aside her old toys and playful personality to a more serious mentality to support the Third Reich, showing the effects of German propaganda on its population to aim their hatred towards the non-German people and support the
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.