The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
The book The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (2006) tells the story of a nine-year old boy Bruno who comes from a very wealthy German family. He lived in a big and beautiful house in Berlin with his father who worked for the military; his mother who took care of their home; and his sister Gretel whom he considered a hopeless case.
He came home from school one day to learn that he and his family were moving to some place far away, which devastated him because it would mean that he would have to leave school, his three best friends, and his grandparents whom he loved dearly. He was told by his mother that they had to move because of his father’s job, and he just accepted it as it would have been better than being separated from his father.
When they finally arrived at their new home, a place Bruno and his sister later called Out-With, Bruno was shocked at how different their new home was from their house in Berlin. Aside from being smaller, it also looked less maintained. In addition, there seemed to be no one else around, which meant that he wouldn’t have any friends to play with and he wouldn’t have any place to explore either. This was a concern for him as exploration was his favorite thing to do. It made him miss his home in Berlin even more, especially the hustles and bustles of the city where the crowds were always milling around and where he never ran out of places to explore.
Aside from being stuck in a place where he had nothing much to do, his father’s soldiers also went in and out of the house, some of them really mean – a Lieutenant Kotler, in particular – which Bruno found annoying. He also discovered upon moving to the new home that there were a lot of people – old and young – in the far distance who were all dressed similarly and who wore expressions that made them seem unfriendly. Bruno also noted how these people seemed to live in small huts and how a tall fence separated Bruno’s home from them. He later found out from Gretel that they were Jews and were on the other side of the fence because Bruno and his family were their opposite, but this still left him very much confused.
Bruno was under the initial impression that they would stay there only for a few weeks, but as time passed, he realized that this wasn’t to be, so he decided to just make the most out of the situation and just explore whatever he could explore.
It was on one of Bruno’s explorations outside his home when he met Shmuel, a boy from the other side of the fence. They immediately hit it off, and this started a friendship that made life at Out With easier to bear for Bruno. He looked forward to meeting Shmuel every afternoon when they shared stories about their lives prior to coming to Out With – Bruno of his life in Berlin and Shmuel of his life in Poland. He made sure to bring Shmuel some food everyday, but he also made sure to keep this friendship a secret from his family. He was afraid that he would be prohibited from seeing Shmuel if they knew.
Bruno enjoyed the friendship so much that he was almost forgetting his friends from Berlin. He also wasn’t exactly thrilled when he learned that he, his mother, and his sister were going back to Berlin.
As a last adventure and as a way to say goodbye to Shmuel, Bruno went inside the camp dressed in the striped blue pajamas that Shmuel wore. Although Bruno was immediately shocked at how the camp looked like and how it immediately made him feel uncomfortable, making him want to just go home, he decided to stay to keep his promise of helping Shmuel find his father.
However, the two boys soon found themselves caught in a march and were soon locked with the rest of the marching men and children in a large room. Bruno refused to leave his friend whom he now considered as his best friend. However, this would be the last that would be seen of the boys.
Bruno’s family frantically searched for him, but his father only found the clothes that he took off and left by the fence.
This was a very touching and heart-wrenching story that described life for both the Germans and the Jews during the Holocaust.
Although the story was based on a fictional character, it’s still an important read because it still correctly portrays life during the Holocaust – the difficulties and sufferings experienced by the Jews and the division it caused even among German families.
Although the story’s plot and setting was quite simple compared to the gravity of the actual events that occurred during the Holocaust, it still did a good job of giving readers a peek at what life was like back then. It should also be noted that this book was intended for youngsters, and the simple setting and story line would make it easier for youngsters – high school students, for example – to understand a historical event that was as complex as the Holocaust. This book would serve as a good starter for them on their learning about the Holocaust.
Although the story was narrated with a light tone that did not quite depict the seriousness of the event, this was actually to the benefit of the young readers who might be hearing of the Holocaust for the first time. This would keep them from getting shocked at the gruesomeness of the events and would make it easier for them to get a grasp of the cruelty that pervaded at the time.
The most important thing is that this book was able to convey messages that everyone – young and old – should take with them, and these are the messages of treating each other with equality, respect, and kindness regardless of our differences.
Diary Entries
The Fight between Bruno’s Father and Grandmother
It was a week or so after The Fury and Eva had dinner at Bruno’s house to talk about the career of Bruno’s father. Bruno and his family were at the house of his grandparents for a party when an argument suddenly broke out between Bruno’s father and grandmother.
Although his grandfather was proud of the milestone in his son’s career, Bruno’s grandmother was completely disgusted by it. While Bruno’s father and grandfather saw it as a sign of patriotism where Bruno’ father was doing the country a great service, Bruno’s grandmother saw it as inhumane and dishonorable.
This showed how the Holocaust divided even German families at the time – how people had different perspectives about the events surrounding the Holocaust. This also showed how Hitler had strongly influenced people’s way of thinking to the point that they really believed that their race was superior from the Jews.
Bruno’s Family Leaves Berlin
This showed that because of the Holocaust, Bruno and Gretel had to leave their school, friends, and grandparents behind. Bruno’s mother had to abandon the house she cared for, and his father had to risk exposing his family to the dangers involved with his job.
Bruno’s Accident at the Swing
One day, Bruno decided to make a swing to keep himself from getting bored. He was able to successfully make one and was enjoying his time swinging. However, he was swinging so high that he accidentally lost his grip, fell to the ground, and got injured.
It was a good thing that Pavel, one of their servants, was around and he attended to Bruno’s injuries. Bruno was still very worried that he might need to go to the hospital, though, and to appease his concerns, Pavel told Bruno that he used to be a doctor and assured Bruno that he was going to be okay. Upon seeing Bruno’s confusion, Pavel explained that he used to be a good doctor but that he could no longer practice it.
This showed how the Jews were stripped of their honor and credentials during the Holocaust. This was in an effort by the German Nazis to ensure that the Jews became inferior to them. As a result, Pavel was no longer able to practice medicine and was reduced to being a servant who peeled vegetables.
Bruno Befriends Shmuel
Bruno met Shmuel, a Jewish boy, during one of his explorations. They became friends and shared stories with each other.
Bruno noted how thin and frail Shmuel was and how sad he looked. Bruno later learned that the soldiers took Shmuel and his family away from their home and brought him and his father to camp. His mother, however, had been separated from them.
This again showed that because of the Holocaust, families – particularly the Jewish ones -- were separated from each other; they were deprived of their possessions; and they suffered from poor health.
Gretel Tells Bruno about the Jews
The siblings were having a conversation in Gretel’s room when Gretel told Bruno that the people on the other side of the fence were called Jews and that they were separated from them because they were considered the opposites of Germans.
Gretel showed disgust for the Jews while telling her brother about them and this showed how the Holocaust influenced even children’s way of thinking. Although this influence was not evident in Bruno’s character, Gretel’s character clearly showed that she was in agreement with the beliefs of the German Nazis.
Bruno Goes Inside the Camp
As a last adventure with his friend and to satisfy his curiosity, Bruno went inside the camp with Shmuel where he wore the same striped blue pajamas that the others wore. This made Bruno blend in with the rest such that he easily got caught up in a march where he and Shmuel both ended up in a big locked room.
This showed how many innocent people suffered because of the Holocaust where they were punished without just reason. Unfortunately, Bruno was among the innocent children who had to suffer.
Concentration Camps
Concentration camps referred to camps where people were illegally or unjustly confined or detained, “usually under harsh conditions” (“Concentration Camps, 1933-1939,” 2011). It was a primary attribute of the German Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945.
The first German concentration camps were formed not long after Hitler was appointed as chancellor. This was followed by the organization of many detention camps by the Storm Troopers (SA), the Schutz Staffeinel (SS), and the Protection Squadrons – the Nazi party’s elite guards – along with the local civilian authorities and the police. These camps were intended for the imprisonment of both the perceived and real threats to the German Nazi policy.
These camps were established all around Germany as needed in order to accommodate the vast number of people being arrested.
In July 1934, Hitler imposed the centralization of the concentration camps’ administration in order to enable its formalization into a system. This led to the development of the procedures and organization that would be used to administer and guard the concentration camps. This included regulations for the treatment of prisoners, as well as the responsibilities of the perimeter guards. This model was developed by Theodor Eicke at the concentration camp in Dachau, and the same model was used in other concentration camps, including the one in Auschwitz.
At the concentration camps, prisoners were deployed as forced laborers who worked on the construction projects of the SS, which included the expansion of the concentration camps. Some were also moved to more dangerous and labor-extensive work such as those in coal mines and stone quarries. However, despite the extensive labor, the laborers were not provided with proper nourishment; they were mistreated; and their safety was not considered, which led to high mortality rates.
The Second World War broke out in 1939, but this did not alter the purpose of the concentration camps; rather, it further expanded the camps’ functions. Aside from becoming “sites where the SS authorities could kill targeted groups of real or perceived enemies of Nazi Germany” (“Concentration Camps, 1933-1939,” 2011) and which served as holding centers for the laborers to be deployed, the concentration camps also later became sites where weapons, armaments, and other related goods were made in order to aid the Germans during the war.
In 1943, as the Allied troops advanced towards Nazi Germany, the Germans demolished the camps in an attempt to hide evidence of the mass murders (“Liberation of Nazi Camps,” 2011). They also forced most of the prisoners to march towards the west, which would later be known as the death march. By 1945, the Soviet, U.S., and British forces had liberated all of the concentration camps where they were able to find a number of survivors.
Boyne, J. (2006). The boy in the striped pajamas. London, England: Transworld
Publishers
Concentration camps, 1933-1939. (2011, January 6). Retrieved from
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005263
Liberation of Nazi Camps. (2011, January 6). Retrieved from
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005131
