Boy In The Striped Pajamas Conflicts

A historical fiction fable by John Boyne, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas follows Bruno as he and his family move from their Berlin to “Out-With.” While there, Bruno meets a young boy of his age that makes him think that leaving everything behind wasn’t such a terrible mistake. However, their innocent and unlikely friendship results in dire consequences. In the novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne shows that even the most seemingly dreadful places, something unexpectedly beautiful can be found.
Bruno, his sister Gretel, his mother, and his father have an easygoing life in their beautiful Berlin home. One day, they are visited by “The Fury” who is accompanied by a lovely blonde women. Bruno’s father is promoted to the ranking of Commandant, which also requires that the family promptly moves to “Out-With.” Bruno is upset, having to leave behind

his friends and start anew.

After he and the family maid, Maria, pack up all the belongings, the family moves to meet Bruno’s father, who had already departed. Bruno repeatedly states what a mistake the move was and even goes to consult Father about it. However, his father and mother both tell him they will be staying here for the “foreseeable future” and he will just have to adjust to it. From his room, Bruno notices a wired fence enclosing people who all seem to be wearing the same gray, striped pajamas. Though he asks his older sister, Gretel, about these people, neither of them is able to come to a logical conclusion about who those people are and what they are doing. Later, when Bruno is fed up with staying inside the house with no friends and nothing to explore, he decides to venture outside and explore the fenced area, which completely disregards the warnings given to him by his family members. After about two hours, Bruno is disappointed to have not discovered anything until he notices something strange in the distance. It was a speck that had “...then began to show every sign

of turning into a blob, And shortly after that the blob became a figure. And then, as Bruno got even closer, he saw that the thing was neither a dot nor a speck nor a blob nor a figure, but a person. In fact it was a boy.” (Boyne 105). The boy also turned out to be around his age. With the fenced barrier, the two boys are not able to play together as Bruno wished, but they are able to enjoy each other’s company by simply talking. The two boys grow closer after the revelation that they have the same birthdate. Everyday they continue talking to each other, strengthening their bond through the wired fence.