The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Christen Hughes

Dr. Perry

EDR 441 – Literature for Adolescents

24 March 2016

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Boyne, John. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. New York: Ember, 2006. Print.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is a Holocaust-genre novel set in Berlin and Auschwitz concentration camp. Bruno’s family, which consists of his mom, dad, and sister, live in a five-story mansion in Berlin. One day after coming home from school, 9-year-old Bruno discovers the family maid, Maria, packing all of his belongings in a suitcase. The protagonist later finds out that his dad was offered a job by Hitler and the family would have to move to Auschwitz. Bruno becomes depressed when he hears the news because he does not want to leave his three best friends from school. Bruno tries to persuade his parents not to move, but it does no good. The house the family moves into at Auschwitz is a downsize from their house in Berlin, and Bruno struggles with loneliness because he has no friends to play with, and his sister is mean to him majority of the time. Bruno spends most of his time looking out the window in his bedroom, and often describes the conditions at Auschwitz. One day, he decides to go on an adventure and see what the other side of the fence is like. As he gets closer to where the Jewish prisoners live, he discovers a boy in striped pajamas named Shmuel. Bruno visits Shmuel at the same place near the fence every day and brings him food. Bruno convinces Shmuel to let him come to his side of the fence to discover what is is like – just days before Bruno’s family is set to move back to Berlin. Bruno puts on striped pajamas, goes to the prisoner’s side of the fence, and ends up dying in a gas chamber with Shmuel. The prevalent themes/motifs in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas are innocence, friendship, family, sibling rivalry, death, and survival.

Bruno and his sister, Gretel, have parents who are very authoritative. In Conflict and Connection: The Psychology of Young Adult Literature, Sharon Stringer says that authoritative parents “are warm and responsive with their sons and daughters, yet they also use firm guidance” (25). Bruno often describes his parents throughout the novel, expressing that he and his sister have an open relationship with their parents, but know the consequences if they choose to participate in bad actions. The most common discipline problem Bruno participates in is talking back and raising his voice to his mother. Every time Bruno does this, his mother disciplines him harshly and reminds him of the correct way to act. Stringer also says that the authoritative way of disciplining is one “with the most positive outcomes” (25). This argument is proven true in Bruno’s case – he has an approachable relationship with his parents, but also knows he would be disciplined for breaking any rule.

Roberta Seelinger Trities would describe The Boy in the Striped Pajamas as a Entwicklungsromane novel – or one that ends before the protagonist reaches adulthood. One of the unfortunate themes in this novel is death, which is illustrated by both the protagonist and his Jewish friend. Bruno possess a sense of innocence throughout the novel. Even after he has lived at Auschwitz for over a year, he still does not understand why people are separated by a fence and the purpose of Hitler. It is almost like he refuses to accept the truth in fear of finding out what really happens. Trites argues that adolescents who experiment with the truth result in “a loss of innocence that seems…tragic” (121). In Bruno’s case, he wanted to discover for himself the life Shmuel was living on the other side of the fence. He constantly questions why Shmuel is so skinny and is always hungry, and why life on the other side is “horrible,” in Shmuel’s word. As a result of this, Bruno loses his innocence of the Holocaust and is tragically killed when he and Shmuel are forced in a death march that leads into a gas chamber.

Books by John Boyne

Beneath the Earth (2015)

The Second Child (2008)

The Dare (2009)

The Thief of Time (2000)

The Congress of Rough Riders (2011)

Crippen (2004)

Next of Kin (2006)

Mutiny on the Bounty (2008)

The House of Special Purpose (2009)

The Absolutist (2011)

This House is Haunted (2013)