The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas Literary Analysis

When authors create texts they are constructed with an intention in mind, the way in which a reader interprets a text can support or resist the way in which the author wanted. John Boyne's, "The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas", is an example of a text in which numerous interpretations from both Boyne's intention and the readers personal context can be gathered. "The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas" is a story set in World War II from the perspective of an nine year old boy named Bruno, who happens to be the son of Auschwitz's commandant. He strikes an unlikely and forbidden relationship with a young Jewish boy named Shmuel who is imprisoned on the other side of the fence, leading to foreshadowed and unsettling events. John Boyne seeks to present a
This is known as a dominant reading. One of John Boyne's key intentions is to highlight the fact that even though the Nazi party was in power there were people who disapproved of and resisted their regime and did not bow to the power of Adolf Hitler. An example of this is seen in the quote, ""Ashamed!" She called out before she left. "That a son of mine should be - ". "A patriot." Cried Father, who perhaps had never learned the rule about not interrupting your mother"". This shows that Bruno's grandmother feels a strong sense of embarrassment for the fact that her own son is a commandant in the Nazi ranks, the same organisation that she is against and disapproves of. Juxtaposition is used in the phrase between the words 'ashamed' and 'patriot' to show the contrast between the two opposing views of Bruno's father and grandmother. The grandmother who feels guilty about even being associated with the Nazi's indirectly and the father who feels proud to support his country by being a member of the Nazi party. Bruno can be seen as a symbol for the German people, torn between two very opposing views, not knowing whom to trust or whether to question the authority of their own leader. This example from the text aids readers in interpreting a very dominant reading that supports the ideology that there were Germans who opposed the views of the Nazi's, which was John Boyne's
I know a number of young children between the ages of six and ten that have enough cognitive ability to basic problem solve and form opinions and conclusions of their own. They are not oblivious to the world around them as Bruno so obviously is. A key quote from the the text states, ""Presented on the occasion of the opening of...Out-With Camp," he continued, stumbling over the name as usual". Bruno is completely disconnected with the situation that he is in, this is gathered by the use of third person and shows his lack of thoughtfulness and reflection. He is unable to draw a conclusion about the true terrible nature of the camp even after he is progressively presented with clues that should be obvious. The wire fence with the barbed wire on top that separates his home and the camp, the different uniforms for those on different sides of the fence, the fact that Shmuel appears unclean and poorly fed, these are all things which would allow any typical child to begin to realise that whatever is happening on the other side of the fence is bad. Bruno may have been intended to be a symbol of the German population's innocence, but when applying my contextual knowledge of children and the way in which they act, all I am able to see of Bruno is an underdeveloped and immature child rather than a strong symbolic figure. The fact that Bruno is meant to