The Boy In The Striped Pajamas Literary Analysis

Over 60 million people were killed as a result of World War II, more than half of which were innocent civilians. Bruno and Shmuel, fictional characters created by John Boyne in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas were two of those people. The pair became friends after Bruno moved from Berlin because of his father's job as a soldier and Shmuel's religion forced him into a concentration camp near Bruno's new home. In the end, when Bruno attempts to help Shmuel find his father, the two are accidentally executed in a gas chamber together. John Boyne has made it clear through characterization, evidence in the setting and symbolism that a major theme of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is ‘All life's decisions come with consequences.’

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These characters can actively show themes, like Bruno deciding to sneak out to meet with Shmuel and facing the consequences: ‘He reached out and touched it for a moment, and the bronze was very cold, so he pulled his fingers away before taking a deep breath and beginning his journey” (Boyne, 102). This relates to the theme because Bruno is going against his parents and exploring behind the fence. He was killed because of his decisions and everyone close to him also felt the consequences of not keeping a closer eye on him. Boyne also shows the theme ‘All life’s decisions come with consequences’ with one of Bruno’s conversations with Shmuel, “‘I don't think he's a good soldier at all. I mean one like Father. One of the good soldiers.' 'There aren't any good soldiers,' said Shmuel” (140). This quote shows the theme because Shmuel continues to show up at the fence almost every day to talk with Bruno. The German boy is very naive and almost disrespectful to Shmuel and how he is forced to live, saying things like ‘there are good soldiers’ to an imprisoned Jew who sees soldiers beating fellow inmates. Despite this, Shmuel seems to enjoy the company. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas proves the theme even more with a

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas happens in Nazi Germany and Poland, near death camp Auschwitz during World War II. This can impact decisions the characters make and encounter the consequences. In this first piece of evidence, Bruno is looking out his window at the new home, likely at Auschwitz. “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” (Boyne, 20). This relates to the theme because Bruno chose to look outside and the resulting consequence was that very cold and unsafe feeling. Moreover, he decided to explore in that direction despite what he saw and experienced just from his window. In the second piece of evidence, Bruno is showing his view to Gretel, his sister. “‘Look over there,’ said Bruno… and saw a group of children being shouted at by a group of soldiers” (Boyne, 37). This shows the theme ‘All life’s decisions come with consequences’ because, like the previous example, Bruno decided to show others the scene and invoke fear into them. This might’ve caused Gretel’s sudden change into a very grown-up, pro-Nazi girl because of the power the soldiers had. Lastly, the next section of evidence shows Bruno complaining to Father about their new home. "'You don't