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The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas Literary Analysis

Decent Essays

'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' is a story about a young, wealthy boy who moves to the countryside for his father's job (a Military Commandant). Throughout the book, Bruno forms a forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy from the concentration camp situated next to his new house. The story ends when Bruno decides to enter the concentration camp to help his new friend Shmuel. The book focuses largely on the cruelty of man, which is displayed by the way the Jews are treated. Friendship amidst suffering is frequently displayed in this book, as demonstrated by Bruno and Shmuel's friendship. The author, John Boyne, incorporates symbols into his writing which adds emphasis to key factors within the book. John Boyne also uses dramatic irony throughout …show more content…

It is portrayed most commonly within Bruno and Shmuel's friendship. Towards the end of the book Bruno begins to realise that the fence is separating them both for a reason, however this doesn't stop them from being friends. This shows that they would go through anything, including suffering, to be friends. The following quote shows how strong their friendship is at the end of the book, "Despite the mayhem that followed, Bruno found that he was still holding Shmuel's hand in his own and nothing in the world would have persuaded him to let go." (Page 213). Another display of friendship amidst suffering is demonstrated by Bruno's parents. At the beginning of the book their relationship is loving and healthy. Towards the end of the book, Bruno's mother discovers how the soldiers are treating the Jews. She becomes appalled and disliking of her husband, as he supports it and is not doing anything to stop it. Bruno's parents' relationship begins to fall apart and his mother eventually decides to move back to Berlin. This is a negative example of friendship amidst suffering as the relationship goes downhill. This shows how easy it is for suffering to build or tear apart a …show more content…

The fence that surrounds the concentration camp is a very important symbol. On one side of the fence, life is great, while on the other side, the most unpleasant things occur. The fence is a symbol as it separates two very different worlds. "There was a huge wire fence that ran along the length of the house and turned in at the top, extending further along in either direction, further than she could possibly see." (Page 31). At the end of the book, Bruno decides to crawl under the fence to help Shmuel find his father. The fence is overcome when Bruno crawls under. This symbolises that the fence and people's disagreements could be overcome if they tried. Once on the other side of the fence, Bruno starts to realise how different it is from his side of the fence. He becomes scared and wants to go home. This shows how easily one fence can separate two completely different worlds. Another major symbol is the striped pyjamas. The detention centre uniforms are what divide the Jews from the Germans. This is overcome in the book as Bruno decides to put on the uniform, therefore making him equal to every Jew in the centre. When Bruno is dressed in the pyjamas, he, Shmuel and every other person in the uniform are seen as the same. This symbolises that there are no major differences between Jews and Germans. Every human being should be seen as equal and given the same

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