Faith Fowler Ms. Gourd Pre-AP English 10 March 30th, 2018 Behind the Fence “A story of innocence in a world full of ignorance.” stated from John Boyne. This is a quote the author of the novel used to describe the novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. He used this quote because no one knew how innocent Jews could be but they also ignored the Jews, In the novel, it takes place in a place called Auschwitz where two cultures are present, containing Jews and Germans who become the best of companions. The accurate elements of this culture represented in the novel including speech, setting, and actions. One example is how the German soldier talks …show more content…
to a Jewish boy, making it a way of speech. “Who told you that you were allowed in this house? Continued Kotler. “Do you dare to disobey me?” ( Boyne, Page 171). The German soldier who is talking to the Jewish boy named Shmuel is speaking very harshly unlike he talks to the other Germans. The German and the Jews setting is very different Bruno who lives in a three story house versus the Jews who live in a concentration camp on the other side of the fence. “I don’t see why I have to be stuck over here on this side of the fence where there’s no one to talk to and no one to play with and you seem to have dozens of friends.” (Boyne, Page 113). The author is talking about Bruno and Shmuel who want the opposite life, even though Shmuel doesn’t express his opinion. The Jewish and the German culture is also represented as a action, because how the Jews eat versus how the Germans eat. “Chocolate said Shmuel very slowly, his tongue moving out from behind his truth. I’ve only ever had chocolate once. Only once? I love chocolate. I can’t get enough of it. You don’t have any bread, do you? Bruno shook his head. Nothing at all, he said.” (Boyne, Page 133). This shows how the Germans get chocolate and Shmuel barely gets bread. The culture affects the novel in numerous ways, as in without the Jewish and the Germans the Holocaust would be non-existent. “He wore the same striped pajamas that all the other people on that side of the fence wore, and a striped cloth cap on his head. He wasn’t wearing any shoes or socks and his feet were rather dirty. On is arm he wore an armband with a star on it.” ( Boyne, Page 108). This section of evidence shows how the Jews were separated and also wore a different attire than the Germans, also notice how the Jews had a star which was the Jewish star and went with their heritage. The Jews were often mistreated because they were different than the Germans and without Adolf Hitler strong hate he had for the Jews this event of a novel would have never occurred. The novel would be very different if it were another culture/cultures because of the strong hate between the Jews and the Germans, Hitler treated the Jews very viciously when everyone else had no problem with them. The reason this would be so awkward with another culture is because the way Hitler killed the Jews in the gas chambers and his other wicked ways. “Father stared at him, astonished. You know perfectly well who the Fury is, he said. I don’t said Bruno. He runs the country, idiot, said Gretel.” (Boyne, Page 119). This is an example of the time the family were talking about Hitler but used the code name “the Fury” and later on Bruno describes him as a “horrible man” in which he was. (Boyne, Page 126). This shows how a child describes Hitler to be so evil and he doesn’t really know him. The influence of the German culture in Bruno by himself and when he meets Shmuel together both have varying archetypes. Before Bruno meets Shmuel he is the iniater; meaning he has something to prove to the audience. “Gretel returned to Berlin with Mother and spent a lot of her time alone in her room crying, not because she had thrown her dolls away and not because she had left all her her maps behind at Out-With, but because she missed Bruno so much.” (Boyne, Page 215) This shows how Bruno’s older sister for the first time realized how much she missed her annoying pest of a brother. She also realized she took advantage of her brother, Bruno always felt like he had something to prove to Gretel and now Gretel realizes it. In the beginning, Gretel says “Don’t be stupid Bruno.” (Boyne, Page 34) This shows how Gretel realized how mean she was to him in the text above. Brunos’ heritage comes through in his archetype because the Germans’ always felt like they had something to prove to other countries. Bruno’s archetype changed when he meant Shmuel and the pair become companions. In the middle , Bruno says “I should be with Shmuel by now. He’ll think I’ve forgotten him.” (Boyne, Page 151) This shows how Bruno hated to go a day without seeing Shmuel. Bruno and Shmuel both had character development with their culture throughout the novel.
Bruno’s cultural difference with Shmuel meant nothing to him because he had gained a friend even though that was his country’s opponent. In the beginning Bruno was angry because he was moving but in the end he was glad. “Say goodbye to Karl and Daniel and Martin? He continued, his voice coming dangerously close to shouting, which was not allowed indoors. But there my three best friends.” (Boyne, Page 7) Bruno was very upset at his mother and everyone else and was close to screaming. At the end of the book, “Bruno felt almost glad when they returned back at Out-With from grandmothers funeral. The house there had become his home now and he’d stop worrying about the fact that it had only three floors rather than five. It slowly deemed on him that things weren’t too bad after all, especially after he met Shmuel. (Boyne, Page 177) This shows how Bruno’s attitude has changed from the beginning until he met Shmuel. Bruno’s character developed when he first met Shmuel. In the middle “Bruno slowed down when he saw the dot that became a blob that became a figure that became a boy.” (Boyne, Page 101) At this moment in time, is when Bruno met his very last best friend and his whole perspective of there being no life at Out-With had become …show more content…
false. The influence of culture that occurred in the plot is how the two people who were so-called “enemies” become inseparable best-friends.
It all started when the two boys realized they had something in common of sharing a birthday. “I’m nine, he said. My birthday is April the fifteenth 1934. Bruno stared at him in surprise. I don’t believe you I mean I’m surprised that’s all, because my birthday is April the fifteenth 1934 too.” (Boyne, Page 11) This shows that the boys had a instant connection and that a Jew and a German could get along.Another influence of culture in the plot is when Bruno was telling Shmuel he wanted to play with him before he left Out-With. At the end, “We’ve been talking to each other for more than a year and we’ve never got to play once.” (Boyne, Page 197) This shows how two very un-alike 9 year-olds wanted to play together. The plot also had a cultural influence when the boys were last seen. At the very end, “You’re my best friend, Shmuel, he said. My best friend for life. Shmuel may well have opened his mouth to say something back but Bruno never heard it. Bruno found that he was still holding Shmuel’s hand in his own and nothing would have ever persuaded him to let
go.” (Boyne, Page 212-213) To go with it, “Nothing more was ever heard of Bruno after that.” (Boyne, Page 214) This shows that Bruno spent his final moments with his very best friend and didn’t care what anyone thought. Also how two cultural inverse boys died together, one who didn’t belong in the fence. In the novel The boy in the Striped Pajamas, there are two cultures present including the Jewish and the German. The quote mentioned above is played in this book to mention that Jews were innocent in a world full of people who ignored their innocence.
While the adults show their disgust and hatred to the Jews, Bruno doesn't mind them and is nice to Pavel, the Jew that got him the tire, and later becomes friends with Shmuel. Bruno’s father is a soldier and is in charge of the concentration camp. Even with all the Jew hating Germans around him, he still goes out to visit Shmuel and doesn’t let them ruin his friendship. Near the end of the movie Bruno shows his friend how much he cares by entering the camp to help look for Shmuel’s father, who had gone missing. While entering the camp, Bruno learned first hand how bad the camps actually were and wished he hadn’t come. Even with these feelings he still wants to help his friend, which eventually leads to his demise.
An excellent book night written by Elie Wiesel and the great movie the boy in the stripped pyjamas directed by Mark Herman portrayed many themes that are in common. The book Night is about the Jews who were forced to let go of their house and belongings and taken to the concentration camps and tortured by the Germans. The movie, the boy in the stripped pyjamas, is about two eight year old boys, Bruno and Shmuel and their friendship, and how their friendship took shape in different forms such as support and hope. Unfortunately, they are not supposed to be friends because Bruno is the son of the German officer, who is responsible for giving the officers the command. Shmuel was a Jew who had to suffer from what Bruno’s father had commanded and decided to do with the Jews.
When Bruno moved to Auschwitz he was completely oblivious to the Holocaust. When he met Shmuel, he became slightly more aware, but couldn’t comprehend what it all meant. It is ironic that his innocence sheltered him from the traumatizing truth of the Holocaust, but it is what killed him in the
Let’s start comparing these characters let’s start with the younger one Bruno from The Boy in Striped Pajamas. Bruno is a little nine year old who is living in Berlin with his family. But then his father gets a new and very important job and has to move to out-with. Bruno does not want to move because he doesn’t want to leave his best friend and his grandparents behind. When he gets to out-with he hates it there he has no friends and now has a smaller house. He notices something out of his window. A fence across the street separating him and people in striped uniform. Time passes and he starts to like his new home. One day he went outside to explore witch was not allowed to do and never to come close to the big fence. But he went walking by the big fence until he saw a little boy. He introduced himself as Shmuel. They talked and became secret best friends. “He looked down and did something quite out of character for him: he took hold of Shmuel's tiny hand in his and squeezed it tightly.”- Pg.213 "You're my best friend, Shmuel," he said. "My best friend for life.”-Pg.213
One day when Shmuel gets sent to shine glasses at his house him and Bruno start talking. A soldier see them and Bruno told him he didn’t know who he was, and the soldier beats the boy, Bruno feels terrible and want to make it up to Shmuel. Bruno wants to understand why the life behind the fence is so awful and why Shmuel isn’t happy. Bruno thinks it’s not better, but interesting because there are other kids to play with. They form a strong bond that can't be broken by anything and it makes him realize that his friends in Berlin weren't as special as Shmuel is and their friendship. The two boys have been talking and have been friends for about a year and decide that Bruno wants to go on the other side of the fence to see what its like and help him find his papa.
Bruno goes with Shmuel in the concentration camp and in the camp, Bruno finally discovers what Shmuel has to suffer. They see soldiers everywhere and very thin people with sunken eyes. Even as Bruno and Shmuel see all of this they stick together in the name of friendship and brotherhood. As they get cramped in the dark room, with light slowly closing, Bruno and Shmuel hold hands and never let go at this scene. The author's theme is clearly shown because when everyone is screaming and panicking, Bruno and Shmuel never let go of each other in the dark and eventually hug to the point where their story ends. The theme is shown because the light is used to represent time and as it fades away; Bruno and Shmuel hold hands showing their friendship and how strong it is when they never let go. The first time we see Shmuel, he is thin, pale, and sunken eyes. Bruno ask Shmuel if he wants food and Shmuel says yes, as Bruno is told time and time again that he should not be near the fence, he takes the risk and goes to it to fulfill his promise to a friend that he has only just recently
... a perfect example of a truly innocent person (Shmuel) and an arguably unsympathetic character (Bruno) whom can be portrayed as denying the truth meeting the same fate. As we can see by Lennie’s death and Bruno’s death, ignorance and innocence lead to the same fate in the end.
Thus, through the various distortions posed throughout The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, John Boyne reveals many aspects of truth. Such distortions allow the author to evoke the audience’s emotion, portray the Holocaust to younger readers and communicate humans’ capacity for brutality and apathy. This is achieved by Boyne through the exaggeration of the innocence of Bruno, the misrepresented content of the novel as well as the distinctive voice of youth. Narrative, in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne, is therefore presented as a device that distorts aspects of truth in order to reveal. However, in the end, it is the choice of the reader as to whether they will consider the narrative to be a ‘fable’ which reveals a message or an actual source of knowledge and truth.
Friendship is not something that has adapted overtime. The desire to seek out and surround us with other human beings, our friends, is in our nature. Philosophers such as Aristotle infer that friendship is a kind of virtue, or implies virtue, and is necessary for living. Nobody would ever choose to live without friends even if we had all the other good things. The relationship between two very different young boys, Bruno and Shmuel’s in the film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is an example of the everlasting bond of a perfect friendship based upon the goodness of each other. This film portrays one of humanity’s greatest modern tragedies, through heartache and transgression, reflecting various themes through out 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.
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.
John Boyne's book "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" invites the readers to embark on an imaginative journey at two levels. At the first level, Boyne himself embarks upon an imaginative journey that explores a possible scenario in relation to Auschwitz. Bruno is a 9 year old boy growing up in a loving, but typically authoritarian German family in the 1930?s. His father is a senior military officer who is appointed Commandant of Auschwitz ? a promotion that requires upheaval from their comfortable home in Berlin to an austere home in the Polish countryside. The story explores Bruno?s difficulty in accepting and adapting to this change - especially the loss of his friends and grandparents.
To begin, the two boys’ relationship relates to Knapp’s stages of relational development. First, the first two stages, initiation and experimentation, can be seen when Bruno first meets Shmuel. The two introduce themselves and Bruno notices the number on Shmuel’s uniform. They also both find out that they are eight-years-old. Next, the relationship also demonstrates the intensifying stage. Particularly, it shows the separation test. Even though Bruno and Shmuel are not able to play together, Bruno still thinks about Shmuel. Furthermore, the integration stage is also shown.
He never really knew why Shmuel was on the other side of the fence. In the book, Bruno asked his sister, Gretel, “‘Are we Jews?’” (Boyne 182). This shows that Bruno had very little knowledge of what was really happening in Auschwitz and all around the world. Boyne had also made Bruno use a very shameful and inappropriate term in his book.
Bruno is irritated and shocked when he’s told they’re moving from Berlin but being a very naive boy doesn’t understand why their family has to leave. The story follows on as Bruno sets out from his house in Auschwitz to explore and finds a boy the same age as him sitting on the ground, on the other side of a fence. His name is Shmuel, a Jewish boy held captive in a concentration camp, but Bruno believes the camp is just a farm. Their friendship cements but is separated by a barbed wire.
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" explores the beauty of a child's innocence in a time of war: