Striped Pajamas: Innocence
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” by John Boyne is a story told through the innocent eyes of Bruno, an eight year old boy living in the era of World War II. This story focused on the very controversial events that occurred during this time period, such as the concentration camps and the treatment of the Jewish people. When Bruno's father Ralf is prompted, Bruno's family must move to a new home in the countryside of Berlin, located right next to a concentration camp. Once situated, Bruno notices the concentration camp located next to their home, sparking his interest. Due to Bruno's creative and adventures nature, he disobeyed his father's rules, and snuck out of their new house to find out more about the people …show more content…
This theme of Bruno's innocence is clearly stated throughout this novel, with both Bruno and Shmuel showing a “childlike innocence”, unable to comprehend the political rules their friendship is breaking. The ironic truth is that Bruno's father is Commandant of a Jewish concentration camp, while Bruno’s best friend is a prisoner at Auschwitz. This theme of innocence is also brought up again when Bruno's parents go to great lengths to hide the realities of the war, even going as far to hide the fact that Bruno's father was a Commandant of a Jewish concentration camp, for Nazi Germany, “he wasn't entirely sure what job Father did, only that it was a very important job, a job that needs a very special man to do it.” (5). While Bruno noticed the difference in how the soldiers around him spoke to “them” (the Jews), he didn't understand the slang used, but nonetheless felt guilty just by being associated with the soldiers and the attitude and language they used when talking to the Jews, “He said the word again and something about the harsh sound of it made Bruno look away and feel ashamed to be a part of this at all”
“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” by John Boyne is a story told through the innocent eyes of Bruno, an eight year old boy living in the era of World War II. This story focused on the very controversial events that occurred during this time period, such as the concentration camps and the treatment of the Jewish people. When Bruno's father Ralf is prompted, Bruno's family must move to a new home in the countryside of Berlin, located right next to a concentration camp. Once situated, Bruno notices the concentration camp located next to their home, sparking his interest. Due to Bruno's creative and adventures nature, he disobeyed his father's rules, and snuck out of their new house to find out more about the people …show more content…
This theme of Bruno's innocence is clearly stated throughout this novel, with both Bruno and Shmuel showing a “childlike innocence”, unable to comprehend the political rules their friendship is breaking. The ironic truth is that Bruno's father is Commandant of a Jewish concentration camp, while Bruno’s best friend is a prisoner at Auschwitz. This theme of innocence is also brought up again when Bruno's parents go to great lengths to hide the realities of the war, even going as far to hide the fact that Bruno's father was a Commandant of a Jewish concentration camp, for Nazi Germany, “he wasn't entirely sure what job Father did, only that it was a very important job, a job that needs a very special man to do it.” (5). While Bruno noticed the difference in how the soldiers around him spoke to “them” (the Jews), he didn't understand the slang used, but nonetheless felt guilty just by being associated with the soldiers and the attitude and language they used when talking to the Jews, “He said the word again and something about the harsh sound of it made Bruno look away and feel ashamed to be a part of this at all”