Truth Behind ‘Boy in the Striped Pajamas’

Boy in the striped pajamas is the book from John Boyne which tells the story about a boy from SS commander named Bruno who is made his journey to new house and meet new friend from other parties, both of them came and lived from different background. John Boyne is a man who born on 30 April 1971 in Dublin and he was an Irish novelist, and he was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and studied Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, where he was awarded the Curtis Brown prize, prize for the best novelist in the university. In this chance I will review against this book from my point of view which tell detailed meaning and values from the content, also I will explain it more detail some elements in this book such as theme,plot,character,conflict,and setting.
The theme of this book is about a father of Bruno who never really care about his children, he only care about his job as a commander of SS special forces under The fuehrer Hitler command, his arrogance lead him to his son death and friendship between Bruno and Shmuel.The story itself takes a place at world war II on Germany when the Jews took by German army to work at a camp as slaves. The theme I took as I try to looked from Bruno’s father point of view which he decide to move from old town to new town in Berlin, he choose to bring all his families without known that he made a wrong decision which only bring misery to his families by his son death and his wife alongside with Gretel the daughter who wants to go back to old town. What I means, it should not happen if the father choose to keep his families in old town and he is moved to new town in Berlin not for vacation but for his duty to Fuhrer, Hitler so it is wise to keep the families away as ‘Valkrie’ story that colonel Staufenberg sent his families away from him to keep in safe.
The decision he choose made him arrogant and more important in new town, he didn’t really care with his families, as a father he must know the consequences moved his family to new town, especially his son Bruno loved to explore new areas. With this reasons, he should pay more attention to his families rather than his duty for fuhrer, and with his indifference behaviour with his families lead him to biggest regret when his boy Bruno explore the other ‘world’ behind the fence and died in vain as he died by a gas from SS soldier, and again it should not happen if his father known well about Bruno and his behaviours
Theme of friendship as innocence of kids between Bruno and Shmuel made a bound without known each background and the situation around, Bruno’s mind only want to play and explore new areas by meet friends and Shmuel also though same things even his life more terrible than Bruno, but friendship never looked the background or the social class. Friendship between Bruno and Shmuel keep remained strong even when the death came to them in the chamber, both of them keep holding on each other until they died. Also the author try to made a point that people from different parties, groups or races can be joined together as a friend, families or teams, this I can saw on friendship between Bruno and Shmuel which both of them comes represent NAZI and Jews with their symbols that hold in their hands, The author brave enough for me as the history told that NAZI and Jews hard to work together as a teams.
However I might told that The title ‘boy in the stripped pajamas’ was a symbol of prisoner and a symbol of friendship as a stripped pajamas means a colour of the shirt and the pant, the colour pattern of pajamas usually in different colours, but in other means it is not only a pajamas,but I can identified it as prisoner clothes and this meaning also supported by the fact that the clothes was used by Shmuel a Jews kid and others prisoner even the author didn’t mention about prisoner clothes, he only mention a person with stripped pajamas and he might try to told the reader from the point of view of Bruno with his innocence as a ten years old child. And also symbol of friendship as Bruno try to used the same clothes that Shmuel wearied to enter the other sides of the fence to met the other friends is possible and want to know the Shmuel village, he used it without known the consequence, he just want to made his friendship bound between him and Shmuel more stronger than ever.
Before I moved on to others elements will explain about the plot in this novel. Plot as my knowledge consist into several phase, there are resolution, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution in the end. First is resolution or the beginning of the plot, in this novel the author began by introduced Bruno and his families also the processed before they moved on to new place, ‘out with’. Then is rising action which is a part on the plot where the situation and the tension on it became more higher than before, rise for a reason and in this novel the phase began when Bruno started to explored the areas outside his house as he tried to found new friend to get away his boredom in a new place situation, ‘out with’.
Third phase is climax which the situation or the tension gets on the peak, the highest level of the plot in a novel. And this was shown when Bruno and Shmuel made the bound of friendship without known the consequences, both of them ignored the fact that they are came from different background and races. After climax, there is falling action phase which shown by the swiftly decreased after being on the peak at the climax phased, the plot began to neared the end and it shown on the part when Bruno for his friendship with Shmuel, decided to went over to other part of the fence with his innocence that he believed found a new friends over there and play games with them, looked like irony. And the last phase is resolution which the final phase of the plot where the question ‘what happened then?’ answered in this final phase, this was shown on the part when Bruno and Shmuel died without both of them known that was a consequence of their friendship, and left misery for families of Bruno, his father felt regret and both mother with Gretel went back to Berlin with pain as they both miss Bruno presence.
There is no plot or story without characters on it and in this novel I found many characters and I will just mention some characters that influenced most on the whole story and my knowledge on characters is not only about their characteristic but also about some elements like dynamic, static, round, and flat. First is Bruno, a son of SS commander who had a sister named Gretel and a mother, Bruno is a ten years old child with his innocence and his hobby was explore new areas, his innocence as a kid lead him to his death but Bruno also had strong sense about friendship, he never want to part away from his friend and if he had a friend he will do anything for keep his friendship’s bound forever if possible. Bruno considered his sister as ‘hopeless case’ as he always mocked by his sister and her friends, also his sister rarely to had conversation.
Bruno was a main character on this novel besides his father and Shmuel, Bruno’s character on this novel was round and dynamic as for the first time in new town he whined to come back to old town but when he met new friend, Shmuel, he made decision to stay in new town, Berlin to keep his friendship bound. And as the story on this novel can saw Bruno’s innocence as kid when he talk with some old people like his mother, father, Gretel and Lieutenant Kottler.Bruno influence whole story as the story began from his life before until his death, and if we look more, we can felt sad emotion as his innocence lead him to his death and what he only think is about friendship. From Bruno character I believe the author try to remind parents all over the world to watched their children very well, especially when their children still young enough to learn about the situation around or face the world.
Next is Shmuel,a Jews boy who had been prisoner on Jews camp, his presence on the middle of the story influence and change Bruno mind to went back to old town, but also his presence lead Bruno to his death.Shmuel and Bruno had same in common on age and same time when both of them borne to the world, what made them different is only the fate that both of them borne on different background and class social, also on the different parties as Shmuel represent Jews and Bruno represent NAZI, but it not hold their friendship,Shmuel from beginning afraid to be friend with Bruno began to forget about it as Bruno insisted to became a friend of Shmuel.
Shmuel on some conversation explained the situation in his village to Bruno, but he can’t believe it and insist Shmuel to take him to the village to play and meet new friends without know the real situation, and unfortunately he come not in the good situation, but he come for his death.Shmuel even had terrible fate than Bruno but he still a kid with his innocence and Shmuel character is round and static as he from beginning doesn’t want to be friend of Bruno but he forget it and he changed his mind again when he was yelled by lieutenant Kottler on Bruno’s house, but he change it only for a while as the day after it he took Bruno to his village. From Shmuel presence I saw that the author try to describe to the reader the cruelty of German armies and SS to the Jews on that time, also from Bruno and Shmuel presence I saw Marxist theory about class social, and the author try to denied it with indirectly statement from the novel that class social not limit the value of friendship, they can be friend even from different background and class social.
Next is Bruno’s father whose his name not mention in this novel, Bruno’s father is a man of honour and full of dignity, he sworn to protect his country and NAZI with his life, he showed it with his dedication to his duty and his loyalty to the fuhrer,Hitler.And with these characters he had, his relation with his families was in question as he focus on the duty without known well about his families which lead Bruno to his death and his wife alongside with Gretel moved back to old town. Bruno’s father was strong person with big influence since he was a commander of SS a special forces under fuehrer command, his soldier love him also with his right hand lieutenant Kottler.Bruno’s father character is flat and static which from beginning of the story he never changed his mind and plan to move to new town, from Bruno’s father presence, the author try to describe a figure of a strong person as he was a commander of SS,but even the strong person can do a mistake and had biggest regret.
The conflict in this novel located on some part of the story, as the conflict between Bruno and Gretel, Bruno and his parents, Kottler with Jews people. The conflict on this novel more directly to the races and argumentation as I can said that is identity conflict between Jews and Nazi took example on conflict between lieutenant Kottler and Jews people like Shmuel and Pavel,i can saw the power of NAZI influence his character when both Shmuel and Pavel followed his order, they followed his order because they both feared and slaves on that time, the only slaves on that time are Jews people so lieutenant Kottler threat them like an animal even Shmuel still a boy, he doesn’t care as they both are Jews people.
And the conflict between Bruno and his families only for the matter of different opinion, made an argumentation on it and Bruno can accept it even for the first time he not took it very well, but as a time passed he met new friend,Shmuel he can forget about his old town.however,from conflict in these novel I can saw values about humanity and situation on that time by looks from Bruno and saw how he talk with his families and express what he felt directly to his parents and sister as his innocence influenced him also and questioning the humanity on that time.
Setting on this novel took a place on old Germany on world war II situation, and in the situation where Germany kill or captured Jews people to brought to Jews camp and became slaves, The situation took two places on Berlin and new town named ‘Out With’ with difference between these two places, if in Berlin the place describe as beautiful town and peaceful then vice versa in new town.
In new town I can imagined this place like a hell like Alcatraz prison, When the situation describe with sharp fence around to kept the prisoner inside and a building with a chimney that expel the black smoke, then the prisoner in the camp work every day as they are slave and describe the cruelty of NAZI on that camp. Also I can saw the fence as a symbol that separated between the camp and Jews village, on the Jews village looks almost same like in the camp, this village occupied by German armies and kill Jews people like they killed an animal. And Bruno’s new and old house looked different as old house showed more elegant and decorated enough than in a new house looked more terrible with bad sense of decoration and colour as in some part of this novel mention that new house was dark, new house looked more like barrack for soldiers.
These are elements on the ‘boy in the stripped pajamas’,above all me in some points agree with the author and not in the others point,i agree with the point in how NAZI treated Jews on that time, moral values behind friendship, and relation between Bruno and his families. And I disagree with the point that the author really judge NAZI and German armies with their cruelty, perhaps the history mention that too but the fact is not like that, NAZI not do like people known as holocaust or genocide, is only engineering work from Jews to get attention from the world, NAZI the fact just rid Jews from their land. And the author for me try to told the reader about a history and moral values about friendship,humanity,and families relationship through Shmuel and Bruno, and the author with his own language really do well to sent his message to the readers.
In summary the whole story told about friendship,humanity,and families relationship through Bruno and Shmuel lives on world war II situation, so from this book review I mention I want to told the reader what moral values inside this novel and we can saw it on conflict and some conversation, then the people itself like Bruno and Shmuel are the symbols of friendship between two different background, social class and races denied Marxist theory about social classes and I want to mention that there is a deconstruction on this novel on the cruelty of NAZI and German armies which is not the fact I knew from my knowledge, there is no genocide or holocaust and it is only engineering work from Jews to put all the blames to NAZI and German armies. So I believe the reader can know more about this book by read it and took moral values for life, believe what you believe and keep in faith on what you have like Michel Foucault mention about the power of knowledge.