Book review
Book Report English The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, ISBN: 9781909531192
- Course
- Level
- Book
Full Book Report of The Boy in the Striped Pyjames - John Boyne
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
More summaries for
-
Boy in the striped pyjama 2022 engels book report
-
Samenvatting The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, ISBN: 9781909531192 Engels
-
Boekverslag the boy in the striped pyjamas
Seller
Follow
valeriep123
Reviews received
Content preview
The Boy in the striped pajama’sAuthor: John Boyne
Publication: 2006
Number of pages: 224 pages
Content:
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas tells the story of Bruno, a young German boy growing up
during World War II. As a nine-year-old, Bruno lived in his own world of imagination. He
enjoyed reading adventure stories and going on expeditions to explore the lesser-known
corners of his family’s massive house in Berlin. Although his father served as an officer in
Germany’s Nazi Party, Bruno understood little about his work. Nor did he understand
anything about the war. Bruno’s main concerns in life were to follow the strict rules set forth
by his parents and to steer clear of his older sister, Gretel. Otherwise, he enjoyed seeing the
hustle and bustle of Berlin and spending time with his three best friends: Karl, Daniel, and
Martin.
Normal life suddenly shattered when Bruno came home from school one day and found the
family maid, Maria, packing his belongings. Bruno’s mother explained that Father would soon
begin a new job and that the family needed to move immediately. Several days later, the
family boarded a train and traveled to their new home. Bruno disapproved of the new house.
Not only was it smaller than their Berlin home, but it also struck him as cold and lonely. And
to make matters worse, there were soldiers everywhere.
On the day of the family’s arrival, Bruno looked out the window of his new bedroom and
witnessed an odd sight. On the other side of a very tall fence that stretched far into the
distance, he saw a large number of boys and men of all ages wearing striped pajamas and
matching caps. Bruno went to consult his sister about their new life. Gretel knew that their
new home was called “Out-With,” but other than that, she remained as much in the dark as
Bruno. Bruno decided to speak with Father. After voicing his frustration about the new house
and arguing for the family’s return to Berlin, Bruno asked who the people on the other side of
the fence were. Father explained that they were “not people at all” and that Bruno shouldn’t
worry about them.
Bruno persisted in his complaints about the new house. One day, he tried to get Maria to
express disapproval of the family’s move, but she refused. She told Bruno that Father was a
good man and that he had helped her and her family in their time of greatest need. For this
reason, she would not speak a word against him. Maria had never told Bruno about her life
before, and her story made him realize that she was a complete person with her own life
history and experience.
Weeks passed, and Bruno struggled to keep himself occupied. One day, he decided to erect
a tire swing. While playing on his new swing, Bruno fell and scraped his leg. An older Jewish
man named Pavel saw the accident from the kitchen window. Pavel, who used to be a doctor
but now helped prepare and serve the family’s meals, brought Bruno in and dressed his
wound. Bruno felt grateful for Pavel’s help, but he also wondered why a doctor would bother
working as a servant.
More weeks passed, and Bruno decided to go exploring. In the afternoon, after history and
geography lessons with his tutor, Herr Liszt, Bruno set out walking along the fence that he
could see from his window. He walked for an hour before coming upon a boy who introduced
himself as Shmuel. Bruno and Shmuel sat on either side of the fence and told each other
about their lives. Shmuel explained how his family had been forced to move into a crowded
ghetto and then again to get on a train to come to this camp in a remote part of Poland.
, Excited to have made a friend, Bruno returned to the same spot along the fence nearly every
day over the coming weeks and months. As time passed, Bruno noticed that Shmuel grew
thinner and weaker. His skin looked increasingly gray. Bruno started stealing bread and
cheese for his hungry friend.
One day, in the midst of preparations for a party to celebrate Father’s birthday, Bruno walked
into the kitchen and found Shmuel there polishing glasses. Bruno gave Shmuel some
chicken to eat, but a young soldier named Lieutenant Kotler came in and caught Shmuel in
the act. Bruno hated and feared Lieutenant Kotler, who seemed especially cruel. In a
moment of panic, Bruno denied knowing Shmuel, and Lieutenant Kotler threatened to teach
Shmuel a lesson later. Shmuel didn’t appear at the fence for nearly a week, and when he did,
he had bruises everywhere.
A year after the family’s arrival at Out-With, Mother grew increasingly listless and frustrated
with life there. When both children got lice, Mother convinced Father that it was time for her
to take the kids back to Berlin.
Bruno told Shmuel the bad news about his impending departure, and he lamented the fact
that they had never gotten to play together properly. Shmuel had bad news of his own: his
father had gone missing. The two boys made a plan for their last day together. Shmuel would
bring a pair of striped pajamas, and Bruno would crawl through the small opening at the
bottom of the fence in disguise to help his friend look for his father. They enacted their plan
the following day. After searching in vain for clues that would lead to Shmuel’s missing
father, Bruno wanted to go home. Just then, a group of soldiers surrounded the area in which
Bruno and Shmuel stood and forced everyone to march into a long, dark building. As the
doors were locked and terror erupted around the two boys, Bruno took Shmuel’s hand and
told him he was his best friend.
Bruno was never heard from again.
The setting of the story:
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is very clearly understood to take place during the events of
WWII, during a time when the tragic events of the Holocaust of the Jewish people were well
underway. We know this, first and foremost, from the fact that the primary narrative focus of
the book is an interaction between Bruno, the young son of an SS officer, and Shmuel, a
young boy who is imprisoned in the concentration camp at Auschwitz. Though the exact
nature of Shmuel's circumstances are somewhat unclear to Bruno, they are entirely clear to
the reader, who experiences the cruel irony of Bruno's innocence firsthand.
Because of this, we can surmise that the events of the story take place sometime between
1941 and 1945. Beyond that, we would only be guessing. The exact time of the story is not
precisely relevant, as the horrors of concentration camps and the ignorance of many German
civilians, particularly children, were uniform throughout. As far as exact place goes, we are
certain that Bruno and his family have moved to Auschwitz from Berlin, and we do catch
glimpses of Bruno's previous home in the latter. Bruno is constantly lamenting his declined
circumstances in the city of Auschwitz as opposed to his beloved home in Berlin.
Narrator and point of view:
The point of view is a third person style of narration. Yet, it is focused on Bruno's vantage
point. This allows Boyne to be able to tell the story of what happens through Bruno's eyes,
but also be allowed to freely move into other characters' thoughts and mindsets that allow the
reader to understand how unique Bruno is and the state of affairs that surrounds him.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller valeriep123. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $5.88. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
53068 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now