....2 pages of a summary review ending in
....The resolution of the story turns it into a punishment for the villainous
character of the plot, Bruno’s father. Hence, the novel turns out to be a grim tale
of revenge against man most responsible for the atrocities carried out in ‘Outwith’.
Bruno’s Character from ‘The Boy in Striped Pyjamas’ By John Boyne
Here are some specific aspects of his character, precisely referenced to pages of the
novel that support them. This resource allows for a target revision for the exam
without having to overdo the work. Bruno is a character who sees without watching
[page 191], that is he observes without understanding.
Any study of Bruno will centre on the theme of secrecy: its causes, the nature of
secrecy and the stark consequences of secrecy for humans.
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10-11
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Aspect of Character
‘the things he’d hidden at the back that belonged to him’: Reserved,
precious about his stuff.
Sharply observes detail with full understanding. He noticed that the rims of
his mothers eyes were more read than usual, without sensing she had cried.
He despises his sister and nicknames her as the ‘hopeless case’ until page
188.
Bruno couldn’t describe his father’s job—a significant gap in his knowledge,
thought he has a childlike admiration for his uniform and he knows some
phrases used by adults for his career.
Bruno is always surprised by what he finds out, tends to ask questions but
lacks understanding. He is very attached to his friends, ‘my three best
friends for life’.
Bruno is very attached to his home, has strong sense of rules, likes to break
them, fails to understand the rows between his parents. Overall he withdraws
into secrecy due to his parents’ strictness, rules and hidden lives. This plays a
crucial role in his eventual fate.
A central aspect of Bruno is his delight in exploration. He has grown to
expect luxury as normal
He is determined to seem intelligent by using a new phrase about ‘chalking it
up to experience’. Adults find his questions and lack of cop-on exasperating.
19
20
21
23
25
Ch 4
[30-38]
48-54
59
62/63
69
83
85
97
98
100/1
104/5
Etc..
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Bruno suppresses his emotions; his lack of communication and secretive
nature affects his life immensely: ‘He felt as if he was about to cry again but
stopped himself, not wanting to look like a baby in front of Maria’.
Even though he lacks understanding, can sense a ‘cold and unsafe’
atmosphere in the camp. ‘He put his face to the glass and saw what was out
there and this time when his eyes opened wide and his mouth made the shape
of an 'O', his hands stayed by his sides because something made him feel very
cold and unsafe’. Bruno is observant, but lacks the key ability to interpret
what he observes. His level of understanding is infantile. He put his face to
the glass and saw what was out there and this time when his eyes opened
wide and his mouth made the shape of an 'O', his hands stayed by his sides
because something made him feel very cold and unsafe
Bruno is dominated by his sister and tended to be cut off from her and
therefore secretive.
Bruno is obsessed with growing taller and feels tortured by his short stature.
Inquisitive, asking about the name ‘Outwith’ but accepts a very unreal
explanation of its name.
Naïve interpretation of scenes from the camp: prisoner uniform= pajamas in
Bruno’s eyes. On p 34 Bruno is observant and logical again, but without
showing understanding.
Bruno seeks his father’s attention despite his office being ‘out of bounds’.
Bruno confronts his father, but then is dominated by him. His father fails to
connect with Bruno and merely asserts his authority. He appears sinister and
stern as a father, driving Bruno to secrecy.
The significant role played by punishment and rules in Bruno’s life.
Bruno confuses Maria’s fear with loyalty. Bruno stands up for Maria as an
underdog.
Bruno resorts to his imagination and history to entertain himself, shows liking
for exploration.
Very naïve in his questions to Pavel.
Bruno thought mother was wrongly taking credit for something she didn’t do.
He thought she was acting selfishly, whereas she was protecting Pavel from
punishment for taking care of Bruno when he was injured. This shows
Bruno’s naivety or childish lack of copp-on.
Bruno hates to be patronized and likes Herr Liszt’s way of greeting him as
‘Young man’. This is the opposite Lt. Kotler’s way of addressing him as
‘Little man’.
Bruno has a natural liking for stories, but his parents hire a tutor to suppress
his imagination.
Bruno doesn’t understand that the actions of the soldiers that he views are
innocent.
Bruno’s curious nature leads to his first encounter with Shmuel.
The relationship of Bruno and Shmuel
•
They’re similar but different at the same time. They are both innocent in
the way that they think e.g. Shmuel never sees the people after the marches even
though he doesn’t think the marches last long. It never dawns on him that his
friend’s father is responsible for his own father’s death! He is unaware that the
people involved march to their death. Bruno innocently thinks the fence is there
because the Jews don’t like mixing with the ‘Opposite’. Bruno knows only
opulence, while Shmuel knows only poverty and deprivation. Bruno has grown up
in a wealthy house in Berlin, but Shmuel grew up in the ghetto and in the camp.
Both come from very different worlds. Yet as two young boys they find so much in
common thay they build a durable relationship.
•
However they are both very non-judgemental of each other. This enables
their friendship to blossom, overcoming difference between them. They rise above
a lot of barriers, just because they are two boys in deep need of friendship. Bruno
is not a natural loner though he is isolated and thus he seizes on the chance to
become Shmuel’s friend.
•
Bruno and Shmuel met after Bruno had settled in to Outwith. Shmuel was
an interesting discovery to Bruno. It is as if Shmuel was sitting at the fence waiting
to be discovered [106]. At first Bruno was cautious. Bruno noticed Shmuel’s
concentration camp armband and just thought it was something everyone wore. He
never understood that it was a symbol of racism and the Nazi vision. He found
Shmuel’s face ‘strange’. Bruno was struck by Shmuel’s large sad eyes and grey
skin. Bruno was amazed at how skinny the boy looked and the fact that he
appeared to be wearing pyjamas, without shoes or socks. Both of them were
fascinated from the start with their strange sounding names. Bruno said that his
new friend’s name sounded like the ‘wind blowing’ [108]. Soon they found
something major in common which drew them together: they shared a birthday on
April 15th.
•
At a later meeting Shmuel tells Bruno about his life, being transferred
everywhere. This is a bit like Bruno’s change of house. Bruno asks Shmuel if the
Fury also visited his house, an ironical indication of his innocence. Shmuel
revealed that his family lived in a small flat above his dad’s watch shop. Bruno
thought he had it hard in moving from his five story house in Berlin to a three story
house at Outwith—this shows he doesn’t fully understand Shmuel’s horrible
situation. They compare arm bands, the star and the swastika. Bruno ironically and
innocently can’t make up his mind which one he’d like to wear. Despite their
conversations and some similarities as boys Bruno and Shmuel are thus also
somewhat distant from each other. In one conversation Bruno asks whether
Shmuel knows Pavel. This shows that Bruno underestimates the size of the camp
and doesn’t understand what Shmuel is saying. Bruno doesn’t grasp the scale of
the camp.
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•
At one point Bruno echoes his father and tells Shmuel that Germany is
superior to all other countries. Then he realises he is repeating what his father said
and he feels bad about it because it offended Shmuel. Bruno realised that his
friendship with Shmuel was more important than the ideas his father had imprinted
on him.
•
Shmuel protects Bruno from the harsh truth about bullying when he shows
up with black eye [p150/1] and also dissuades him from crawling under the fence
to him. Shmuel is cautious about revealing to Bruno what he knows about the
soldiers, because he is sensitive to Bruno’s position as the Commandant’s son.
Bruno at one point asserts his belief that his father is good, even though Shmuel
stated that ‘there aren’t any good soldiers’ [p140]. After this Shmuel is careful
about what he says to Bruno about the soldiers. Shmuel has seen Bruno’s father in
action and is puzzled that he could have a son so innocent and kind like Bruno
[p195]. Despite what Shmuel realises about Bruno’s father, he takes Bruno as he
finds him and forms a bond with him. Thus he acts without prejudice.
•
Bruno says to Shmuel ‘this is the strangest friendship I ever had’ [p178/9]
because all they do is talk. They don’t get an opportunity to play. They long for a
normal childhood friendship, but operate within the limitations that are set for
them, until Bruno’s final day in Outwith.
•
At the start of the novel Bruno is attached to his ‘three best friends for
life’. But due to his year-long relationship with Shmuel he gradually forgets about
them. This shows the strength of Bruno’s growing attachment to Shmuel. In the
end he didn’t want to leave him and go back to Berlin.
•
The question arises as to whether Shmuel’s invitation to Bruno to help him
find his dad [on page 209] amounts to Shmuel leading his friend to his death. The
argument goes that in return for all the food, Shmuel just led Bruno to his death
inside the fence. Bruno though has been curious about Shmuel’s side of the fence
and it was his idea to dress in a striped pyjamas. Shmuel may have guilt-tripped
Bruno into it by remind him of the earlier promise to help him find his missing
father. Yet, at the same, time Bruno saw it as an opportunity for boyish
exploration. He went in looking for ‘evidence’. He also went into the camp after
making a positive decision to support his friend in looking for his father.
•
In fact Shmuel had earlier tried to discourage Bruno’s interest in his side
of the fence. When Bruno revealed his curiosity about the scene viewed from his
bedroom window, Shmuel had replied that Bruno wouldn’t find it interesting.
Bruno wanted to play with Shmuel on that side of the fence, but Shmuel had
consistently put him off. Shmuel had warned off Bruno in a scared voice: ‘You
don’t know inside here’. Bruno’s curiosity eventually led to his own downfall, but
Shmuel had in a way shielded Bruno from the camp. The fact that is was supposed
to be Bruno’s last day in Outwith influenced Bruno’s decision to cross over.
Shmuel’s emotional plight over his father made him desperate enough to accept
Bruno’s assistance.
•
It is striking that the two boys went to their death, holding hands together.
A touching final image of two boys, born miles apart on the same day, who
unknowingly face their final moments together in the gas chamber.
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•
Their doomed friendship is in the end a parable on the inhumanity of
dictatorship, racism and ethnic rivalry.
25 Questions that enable a close study of the novel
1. Why does Bruno seem younger than nine at times?
2. Do you agree that the novel resembles a dark fairy-tale?
3. A pun is most often seen as humorous. But, in this novel the narrator
uses dark or solemn puns like Out-With and Fury to convey certain
meanings. Bruno is simply mispronouncing the real words, but the
author is clearly asking the reader to consider a double meaning to
these words. Discuss the use of this wordplay as a literary device.
4. How do these words further communicate the horror of the situation?
5. When Bruno dresses in the filthy striped pajamas, he remembers
something his grandmother once said. “You wear the right outfit and
you feel like the person you’re pretending to be.” (p, 205) How is this
true for Bruno?
6. How true is this statement if applied to Bruno’s father? What does this
statement contribute to the overall meaning of the story?
…..etc to 25.
It is worth reading the following extract many times as it describes
a key moment in the development of the plot, ending on page 20. It
shows the manner in which Bruno senses his world without
understanding it. It demonstrates his love for exploration and it
shows the strange style of parenting in Bruno’s family. It depicts
the unhappy nature of Bruno’s existence. The characters that
surround Bruno here are simple but mainly stark. It is a world
ruled by fear.
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Bruno felt a pain in his stomach and he
could feel something growing
inside him, something that when it worked its way up from
the lowest depths inside of him to the outside world
would make him either shout and scream that the whole
thing was wrong and unfair and a big mistake for which
somebody would pay one of these days, or he would just
burst into tears instead. He couldn't understand
how this had all come about….Etc
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