Stereotypes In 'The Boy In The Striped Pajamas'

A cautionary tale is a story that warns the reader that something dangerous is going to occur. The importance of reading cautionary tales is to warn us to be careful and pay close attention to signs of danger. Their purpose is to teach us to always be cautious. The three stories studied in class are all examples of cautionary tales. This can be viewed as Bruno’s lack of good parents in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the keeping of secrets in Romeo and Juliet, and the consequences of using stereotypes in Chanda’s Secrets.
To begin, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas contained a variety of examples of life warnings. A main example is Bruno’s lack of good parents. Mother and Father were always too busy arguing or working that they rarely had time

to spend with Bruno and Gretel. This had a large effect on Bruno’s happiness. His constant boredom led him to go exploring and eventually to finding Shmuel. He had also become very close to Shmuel through his daily trips to the concentration camp without knowing the danger of his actions because his parents did not feel the need to educate him in regards to the area they were living in. For example, when Bruno and Shmuel are being marched into the gas chamber, Bruno says “He didn't know what everyone looked so frightened about—after all, marching wasn't such a terrible thing-and he wanted to whisper to them that everything was alright […]” (210). This quote demonstrates how being dishonest with your children can eliminate their sense of danger. He had experienced no fear in being marched because his parents had not warned him about the concentration camp. In addition to that, his parents never seemed to worry about his whereabouts. Bruno had gone to see Shmuel almost every day, and not once had mother nor father known where their son was or what he was doing. Thus, Bruno’s parents lacked good parenting skills which is what makes this story a cautionary tale.
Similarly, Romeo and Juliet is a cautionary tale. This can be seen with the keeping of secrets. In this play, secrecy and lies had very severe and tragic consequences for many of the characters. Hiding a marriage, faking a death, and lying to their parents about their love were all clear hints that there would be a tragic ending. For example, when Friar Lawrence is telling Juliet about his plans he says, “Let not thy nurse lie with thee in thy chamber: Take thou this vial, being then in bed, And this distilled liquor drink thou off;” (99). This quote demonstrates the dangers of secrecy because Friar Lawrence is telling Juliet not to let anyone know that she is faking her death. It is a sign of danger as she has decided to make a huge risk in secret. It comes to show that keeping secrets can be hazardous and in this case lead to the tragic deaths of many people. All in all, every tragedy in this play is the result of dishonesty and every lie told was a warning sign of danger.
Lastly, Chanda’s Secrets provided a great deal of information to lead readers to the understanding that misfortune was near.

This story about a family dealing with multiple misfortunes consisted of many signs of caution through the consequences of using stereotypes. The stigma and stereotypes were all towards HIV/AIDS. The disease was known throughout the neighbourhood as God’s curse. Everyone who had AIDS or was related to someone who had AIDS had to live in secrecy due to the constant judgement they would receive from neighbours if they knew. A large part of the population lived in fear because of the stereotypes which was a huge sign of danger. For example, when Chanda and Mrs. Tafa talk about Jonah’s sudden death they say, “Jonah threw himself down that well - or got thrown down that well - because he had AIDS...Don’t say that. If Jonah had the bug, folks’ll be saying your mama has it too...I bet they already do” (164). This quote demonstrates that the abundance of shame associated with HIV/AIDS can lead to a person’s downfall. Chanda believes that Jonah would end his own life to avoid the stigma and stereotypes. Mrs. Tafa also mentions how fast rumors can spread. Therefore, living in fear is dangerous because it can affect important life decisions and prevent people from getting the help they

need.
Overall, the three stories that were studied this semester are all cautionary tales. This is demonstrated by Bruno’s lack of good parents in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the keeping of secrets in Romeo and Juliet, and the consequences of using stereotypes in Chanda’s Secrets. Cautionary tales are important because they make us more aware of signs of danger and teach us to always be careful.