Amy,
I have just finished the first five chapters of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. This book is written in such a simple manner, the words coming from the innocent mentality of a nine year old boy. A reader who has no knowledge of the Nazis and concentration camps era, might not find anything too disturbing, besides the oddity of the fenced in area behind the house where the men and boys are all wearing identical soil stained striped suits. For someone who does have some background knowledge of this time period, you are constantly putting little details together as you read.
At this point in the story Bruno has moved from his beautiful house in Berlin to a rundown home in a place they call "Out-With". The sudden move seemed to have occured after Bruno's father met with a person they refer to as the "Fury" (Could the Fury be Hitler?). Bruno's father is a very important man, who wears a uniform decorated with many metals. Bruno has heard that the Fury has big things in mind for his father. That is what confuses Bruno. If his father is an important man, why is he send to the horrible place Out-With. Was he being punished for something? When he finds the courage to confront his father and ask, his father tells him the move is what is best for a greater cause.
I think that John Boyne did a good job at setting up the scene of what a household in that day and time would reflect. Bruno is very aware of following the rules and showing polite behavior, even in the midst of all the confusion and change. There are soilders coming in and out of the house, coming to see Bruno's father. Bruno has been taught to salute his father and the soilders with the "Heil Hitler" salute. He describes it from the nine-year old perspective as "another way of saying, 'Well goodbye for now, have a pleasant afternoon'."
There were some other disturbing references to that time as well. The most significant is what Bruno finds behind his house. At the outskirts of their new home's property, and within view from Bruno's bedroom window, there is a tall fence topped with barbed wire. On the other side of the fence Bruno describes boys, fathers, uncles and grandfathers walking back and fourth, from one hut to another. They are among soilders who Bruno observes shouting at the children. Bruno's sister, Gretel, is repulsed by their appearance, it seems that they have never taken a bath. Bruno is more curious about the fact that they are all wearing the same striped clothing. When Bruno gathers the courage the ask his father who the people behind the fence are, his father responds, "they're not people at all...well at least not as we understand the term...you have nothing in common with them."
I find it interesting that they call their new home "Out-With", to me it sounds very similiar to "Auschwitz". Auschwitz was one of the extermination camps built in Poland. In the book Bruno describes going on a very long train ride to get to their new home. He also says that he thought it was odd that there were two train tracks going in the same direction. He was on train with lots of space and comfortable seats, and he was confused as of why some of the other people in the other train did not get on his train where there was more room. It is obvious that the other train was for people who were captured and sent to concentration camps, very likely the one neighboring Bruno's house.
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For a reader who has background knowledge of WWII and the concentration camps, I feel that you are able to pick up on the whole Nazi, theme early in the story. Based on my background knowledge of this time, I find it odd that Bruno is so naive to the reality of the situation. While according to this story, this is obviously his parents doing; I find it odd that he has absolutely no clue about what is going on; hen se portraying him as a German of the upper class. I know he is only 9 but based on other books I have read, many characters have had at least an idea of what was going on during that time.
As I was reading the first 5 chapters of the story, I automatically thought of “Out-With,” as "Auschwitz". I don’t’ know if it would be realistic to expect a child of that age to truly understand what was going on. I do think that Bruno is a very curious character and it seems like it would be in his nature to get to the bottom of the situation for lack of better terms.
When I read the part about the train ride, I was frustrated. understand the obvious hints towards history and I see that Bruno is a very polite boy but I just wish his curious personality was more reflective in his interactions with other people. I do not feel this character has been developed appropriately at this point. What child would wonder these things and not either act upon them or ask about them? Children are curious by nature and I do not think his interactions with other people reflect this.
Hi Amy,
I agree with you that Bruno is frustratingly naive. And you make a good point about his curious nature. You would think that someone with that character trait would be more eager to get to the bottom of everything.
I think the author created the Bruno character for a number of reasons. In Boyne's Author's Note, found at the end of the story, he wrote,"I believed the only respectful way for me to deal with this subject was through the eyes of a child, and particularly throught the eyes of a rather naive child who couldn't possibly understand the terrible things that were taking place around him."
I think that the author used Bruno's naivity to show how the truth of the camps and the Nazis and the whole mentality that people held was incomprehensible. There were times when I thought Bruno may be starting to catch on, but he dismissed the events and seemed to block them from his memory. He seemed to keep Shmuel's world as his imaginative exploration world rather than the cold hard truth.
I think that Bruno could also be holding himself back because his gut feelings about the whole situation were too horrible to imagine. Could his father really be one of the terrible soilders that he's seen on the other side of the fence? Could Shumuel really be treated so badly? Could it really be that bad on the other side of the fence? I think the fact that he decided to explore the other side shows that he really never let himself believe that it was such a horrible place. In that day and time, especially as a child, you really weren't allowed to argue with what you thought was right or wrong. I remember Maria telling him that he wasn't allowed to say what he felt and that it would be best if he didn't question anything he saw.
Although Bruno was only nine years old, there were a couple of times in the story that I was mad at his character. Of course there was the time in the kitchen, when he didn't stand up for Shmuel and I thought Shmuel would be killed. I was so angry with Bruno for not telling Lieutenant Kotler that he gave Shmuel the food. However, that is a typical child's response when they are avoiding getting in trouble, I see it all the time in the classroom. I was realived to see that Bruno showed remorse for his actions. I was also disappointed in Bruno when, on his walks to see Shumel, he ate the pieces of food that he brought for Shmuel. He noticed how skinny Shumel was and that he looked so unhealthy. Was this his naive behavior at work again, thinking that those pieces of food were not as necessary for Shmuel as they actually were?
Again, although it is frustrating to understand, I think Bruno's naivity was crucial in telling this story. There are no words that can describe the evil and hate that was at work during this time. Sometimes it's what cannot be said that conveys the most disturbing feelings, and I think that was Boyne's goal when writing this story.
Meaghan,
I agree that the author’s note explains the decisions made by Bruno. Despite the frustrations I had about his character, I was also annoyed at Maria and her actions throughout the story. It was very evident that she was a German girl who was obedient and listened to what her parents had to say. She wanted what most girls regardless of the decade look for; acceptance, friends, boys. This was shown through her transitions with the things in her room. The dolls were so significant to her at the beginning of the story but lose their appeal as the story progresses. My issue with her was that she had believable characteristics that would place her in the “good character,” side of the story however; like Bruno, she chose to ignore the obvious. Although I am sure she was more aware of what was really going on, she chose to put the truth aside to satisfy her own needs. Quite honestly, it is easy to judge when you are outside of the situation. I wonder if I was a teenager in Europe during WWII, how I would I react? I would like to say I would do “the right thing,” but who knows. I think that is why I get frustrated with her I feel like deep down, she knows what is going on and what the right thing to do is but she chooses to “ignore it.” With Bruno, he is simply a younger version of his sister with an extra curious side to him.
What drew me to this book was the inside message on the front jacket cover:
“If you start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence. Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to encounter such a fence.”
Before reading this fable, those words simply drew me into what the story was about. After reading the fable, this initial message has so much more meaning. Take the setting and historical time out of the equation and you have a story about a character choosing between right and wrong, humanity vs. inhumanity. John Boyne was right. Fences like this exist all over the world. How many other children have had to make decisions at a fence? Have the consequences of their choices been as detrimental as Bruno’s was?
I had the chance to do some research on the author John Boyne. I found out that in September, 2008, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas will be released as a motion picture in the UK and Ireland. Although the book is always better, it will be interesting to see how the actors portray these characters.
I also looked into his history as a writer. Most of his major novels are set in a particular time in the past (i.e. 18th century to early 1900’s). The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a historical fiction book that tapes place in a particular time period in the pas (Germany, Poland, WWII) and while the basic setting is real, the characters are fictional. Although this fable does not provide specific information on the setting, it is evident that it does take place in Germany and then Poland in the middle of the Concentration Camps.
Although we have had discussions about the characters choices and actions, based on our limited background knowledge, they are believable for the time period. What I find ironic about this story is the concept of who the victim really is. There have been so many stories about people who experienced the Concentration Camps or some form of cruelty during that time. How many people fell victim to the crimes going on who were not part of or in the concentration camps? (Or, on the “other side”) I feel this story reflects those people. How many other Brunos were affected by this tragedy? I would love to see Bruno and Maria in a present story about the currant war going on. How would they react? Would their personalities change?
Amy,
I agree with you that the author's note in the front jacket definitely gets you to think about the how the fence is used as a metaphor throughout the story. There are so many times, throughout our childhood and adult years, when we find ourselves at that fence, faced with making the right decision. I also liked how the author included the incident with the lice, so that Bruno had to shave his head. Once Bruno put on the striped pajamas it set an image in my mind of how alike the two boys were, even in appearance. I felt that the author built that image to also get across the fact that we are not as different as we seem, an idea that I wish more people during that time (and today)had in their thoughts. Although this is a relatively simple story at first glance, the metaphors show the true depth of the author's message.
As we both noted before, it was very obvious,to anyone with background knowledge of WWII and the concentration camps, that this story was set during that time period. However, I think the author did a good job at weaving that information into the story appropriately, not in an overwhelming way. There were references to Hitler, Nazis, concentration camps and war thorughout the book, although those specific words were hardly, if ever, seen. I think that is due to the author's style. He writes through the eyes of the child, and the child seems to be kept in the dark about everything that is going on around him. It's interesting, because after finishing this book I began The Green Glass Sea. The story is set in the same time period, but on American soil. Although the children in that story are also surrounded by war living on the hidden military base, "The Hill", they are also kept in the dark about many of the cold hard facts about the war.
I think this book would work very well in the classroom. The author often gave just enough information for the reader to infer what was taking place. It wasn't until almost three quarters through the book that the reader was told that "The Fury" was Hitler. Not only could this book be used for teaching about the historical period, it could also be used to help students become strategic readers through making inferences.
Throughout the story you are able to infer many aspects about German and Jewish culture, especially the culture that was significant to that time period. I don't think that the author was completely objective in his feelings about the German and Jewish cultures. Shmuel is an endearing, patient and understanding young boy. He listens to Bruno go on and on about his "huge" problems with his sister or the fact that he is so bored in Out-With. Meanwhile Shmuel is starving, losing family members and trying to survive hell on earth. At times Bruno is almost depicted as an ignorant character, maybe naive or maybe just indifferent about the world around him.
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