The Boy In The Striped Pajamas Literary Analysis

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a thought-provoking work by the author, John Boyne. The book transports the reader into the life of a privileged nine-year old boy, Bruno, and his family. Being a high-ranking member of the Nazi Party, his father is stationed at a concentration camp in Poland by the Fury of Germany himself, Adolf Hitler, forcing Bruno and his family to move away from Berlin. After months of living in isolation from the rest of civilization, Bruno meets a young boy, Shmuel. Shmuel is a jewish member of the concentration camp, who happens to be the same age as Bruno. Originally from middle class origins, Shmuel was forcefully moved away from his home to the camp some years after the war began. Since then, he suffered through the intense hardship the concentration camp had to offer. Over time, the story’s heroes for a strong bond. Being from completely different worlds, the only way their friendship is able to survive is by

Customarily, jealousy is spurred by envy, the want of something that someone else possesses that seems almost out of reach, unachievable. In Bruno's and Shmuel's case, jealousy had all the opportunity to come between them. The reader sees a boy living his life with extraordinary luxury, talk to another boy living his life with unbelievable hardship. “ ‘I hate my new house! It only has three floors’, said Bruno, clearly forgetting Shmuel's story of sharing one room with eleven people.” After years of suffering in the bleak reality Shmuel has known to become a way of life, Bruno’s way of life seems almost unworldly to Shmuel. When it came to lifestyle, the two were polar opposites. However, Shmuel did not let this get to him. He went on to greet Bruno with a smile and a friendly demeanor every time they met. If Shmuel had not done this simple courtesy, devoid of jealousy, the two’s friendship would not have