The Boy In The Striped Pajamas Essay

The movie The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is about an eight year old boy named Bruno who moved to a residence near Auschwitz Concentration Camp from Berlin after his father is promoted to the Commandant of the camp during World War 2. Sometime after arriving to his new “home” Bruno becomes bored without his friends and disobeys his mother’s rule against leaving the front yard. He explores hoping to find others his age. Awhile later, Bruno finds another child named Shmuel on the other side of a fence that surrounds the concentration camp, despite the vast sociological pressures that should have prevented their friendship, the naivety of their youth allows one to form. Their friendship displays how the innocence of children allows them to look
When Bruno first notices the concentration camp prisoners he thinks they are strange farmers who wear PJs and play all day. When he mentions this to Shmuel, Shmuel is shocked that this what Bruno believes, however, does not make it clear as to why he is actually there. Bruno and Shmuel become friends because they don’t know about each other’s backgrounds. They don’t care as it isn’t useful or advantageous to either of them. Once during one of their meetings Shmuel mentions that he is hungry. The next time Bruno comes he brings sweets to his friend Shmuel. Bruno doesn’t wonder why Shmuel might be hungry, he just does whatever he can to help his friend. He isn’t afraid that what he says might negatively impact him. Later in their friendship Shmuel confides in Bruno that he can’t find his father, Bruno agrees to help him by going inside the camp to look for him. Bruno knows that his parents wouldn’t approve of his actions as he isn’t even allowed past the front yard. However, Bruno’s deep loyalty toward his father’s enemy and his friend forces him to overcome his fears to help his friend. He doesn’t even think of what could happen to him in a strange, unfamiliar place, his only thought is to help his