Indledning
It is often said that you should treat others the way you want to be treated yourself. However, it is often found that people do not live up to this.
People judge each other based on the color of their skin, their religion, their behavior and much more.
This is unfortunately also seen in the novel “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” by John Boyne, where the Jews live under terrible conditions in concentration camps in Germany during World War 2.
Here Bruno, a German boy, meets Shmuel, a Jew and manages to create a strong friendship under difficult circumstances. One of the main themes in the novel is friendship.
Indholdsfortegnelse
Progressionsark
Optimer dit sprog - Læs vores guide og scor topkarakter
Uddrag
The main character of the novel is Bruno. Bruno and his family had to move from Berlin to Out With because of his father's job.
This made Bruno very sad because all his friends lived in Berlin. However, there was more he could explore now, and Bruno loves to explore.
During one of his explorations, he meets Shmuel a Jewish boy, and they form a close friendship. Throughout the story Bruno is very naive.
He always thinks the best of people especially his father and the soldiers. This is clearly shown when Bruno gives Shmuel food, but Lieutenant Kotler notices.
Then, the next time Bruno meets Shmuel he has black and blue marks all over him. Here Bruno asks, "was it your bicycle?" but obviously it was not, showing how naive Bruno is.
The book's cover and title refer to Shmuel. He is Bruno's best friend and a prisoner at the Out-With camp along with his Jewish family.
Shmuel has much more understanding of the situation and the consequences of the war than Bruno.
For example, during their discussion about soldiers, Shmuel says "there are no good soldiers" Bruno, however, disagrees.
He believes his father is a good soldier. It is unclear whether or not Bruno is aware of what his father does besides “he had a fantastic uniform”.
At Shmuel and Bruno’s first meeting, Bruno thinks that he has “never seen a skinnier and sadder person in his life” . Furthermore, they find out that they were born on the same day and conclude that “we´re a bit like twins”.
This could be John Boyne's attempt to show that the two boys are equal but live two vastly different lives.
The father is the reason they have moved from Berlin, as he has been assigned the task of running the camp in Out-With as commander.
In general, the father is very strict and wants discipline in the house. He has even made a room which is “out of bounds at all times and no exceptions”8 for Bruno and Gretel.
However, you can feel that the father values his family highly. For example, the father only shows emotions once, at the end of the novel in relation to Bruno's death.
He does not get upset when it happens to the Jews, but when it is his own son, it crushes him. In relation to the Jews, the mother is more human than the father.
This is shown when Pavel helps Bruno after he falls off his swing. The mother even says thank you for the help to Pavel. However, she also says that if the commander asks, she was the one who cleaned Bruno up.
The Mother is probably afraid of the consequences if the Commander finds out who helped Bruno, but she is still grateful that Pavel helped him.
Skriv et svar