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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

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Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Striped Pajamas: Introduction

Striped pajamas: plot summary, striped pajamas: detailed summary & analysis, striped pajamas: themes, striped pajamas: quotes, striped pajamas: characters, striped pajamas: symbols, striped pajamas: theme wheel, brief biography of john boyne.

Historical Context of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

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• Full Title: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
• When Written: April, 2004
• Where Written: Dublin, Ireland
• When Published: 2006
• Literary Period: Contemporary Young Adult
• Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction
• Setting: Berlin, Germany and Auschwitz, Poland
• Climax: When Bruno, who seeks to understand the world on the other side of the fence in which his friend Shmuel lives, changes into a pair of the “striped pajamas” and climbs under the fence.
• Antagonist: Bruno’s Father
• Point of View: Third person omniscient, mostly from the perspective of Bruno, a nine-year-old boy.

Extra Credit for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Quick work. Boyne wrote the first draft of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in two and a half days, hardly sleeping until he finished.

Film. The novel became a movie in 2008 under the same name, directed by Mark Herman.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

80 pages • 2 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-15

Chapters 16-20

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Compare Bruno and Shmuel , analyzing three examples from the novel.

Explore to what effect John Boyne uses a child’s perspective throughout the novel. How does this perspective lend itself to the themes he wishes to convey?

List and analyze some of the things you have learned about World War II and the Holocaust through this novel.

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"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" Study Guide, Questions & Discussion

• Pamela Rice-Linn
• Categories : Literature study guides and chapter summaries
• Tags : Homework help & study guides

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Pick up your copy of John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas to help you recall answers to the following questions. Page numbers from the hardback copy are provided to help you identify evidence from the story, but not all questions rely on the words on the page. For some questions, you’re going to have to think for yourself and come to your own conclusions. Don’t be afraid to dig deeper for more meaning or settle for the most obvious answer. The best questions are the ones you ask to satisfy your own curiosity. For now, here are a few of my own to get you started.

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Practice for Chapters One to Five

• Why is Maria packing Bruno’s things? (page 3)
• Why must Bruno’s father move away to do his job? (page 4)
• What matters most to Bruno in Berlin? (page 9)
• What did Bruno hope to see outside his bedroom window? (page 20)
• Why do you think Bruno always tries to be honest with himself? (page 21)
• Who first called the new home ‘Out-With’ and why did they do that? (page 24)
• How could the house serve as a symbol for Bruno’s family? Why is it important to not pass judgments based on appearances?(page 26)
• Why is there no greenery in the distance after the fence? How could this be symbolic? (page 32)
• In chapter four, Bruno states his age. How else do you know Bruno is young?
• What is the tone of chapter four? What occurs in the chapter to set the tone? (page 38)
• Why does Mother feel they should never have let the Fury come to dinner? (page 40)
• Why was Mother so startled by Maria’s sudden appearance? (page 40)
• While Bruno is at the train station, he notices two trains separated by a platform. What is the author’s purpose for including this description? How does Bruno feel about the trains? (page 41)
• How does Father’s office compare with the rest of the house? (page 45)
• What is Bruno’s relationship like with his Father? (page 46)
• According to Bruno’s reasoning, why was his father assigned to work at Out-With? (page 50)
• How does Father explain the people in the huts in the distance to Bruno? (page 53)

Chapters Six to Ten

• How does Maria respond to Bruno’s question about living at the new house? (page 58)
• Why does Maria defend Father? (page 60)
• Why was Bruno proud of his Father after hearing Maria’s story? (page 62)
• After talking to Maria, how has Bruno’s opinion of her changed? (page 63)
• What is Maria’s advice to Bruno after their talk? (page 64)
• How does Mother prove she is a decent person? (page 68)
• What does Bruno decide to do for fun? (page 70)
• What does Lieutenant Kotler do to make Gretel and Bruno uncomfortable? (page 75-76)
• What happened to Bruno on the tire swing? Who rescues him? (page 78-79)
• Before he became the family’s waiter, what did Pavel do for a living? (page 82)
• Why does Mother say she’ll take credit for mending injury? (page 85)
• What was the best part about acting with Grandmother? (page 88)
• What happened after the last play’s performance? (page 89)
• How are appearances important? (page 91)
• Why is it important to speak your mind? (page 91)
• How is Bruno’s costume similar to Father’s uniform? What could this symbolize? (page 92)
• What does Bruno want to do when he is older? How is this occupation meaningful to the story? (page 102)
• According to Bruno, what are two categories of discovery? (page 105)
• Why does Shmuel wish he had a name all his own? Why is this important? (page 109)
• What do Bruno and Shmuel have in common? (page 109)
• How does this novel support a theme of discovery?

Chapters Eleven to Fifteen

• According to Bruno, why was the Fury rude? (page 122)
• Why did Bruno’s parents argue after their dinner guests left? (page 124)
• How does Bruno’s arrival at Out-With differ from Shmuel’s arrival? (page 130)
• Why does Bruno decide not to share the news about his new friend with his family? (page 133)
• What is Maria’s religion? How do you know? (page 137)
• Describe Bruno’s personality? How does he change from the beginning of the story to this point?
• What does Shmuel want to do when he grows up? (page 139)
• Bruno claims his father is one of the good soldiers. Why is his statement ironic? (page 140)
• How does Shmuel know Lieutenant Kotler? (page 141)
• How does Bruno prove he is naïve about Out-With? (page 141)
• Why does Mother ask Bruno to not use the word ‘hate’? (page 143)
• Why did Lieutenant Kotler’s father leave Germany? Why is this news shocking to Father? (page 145)
• What did Lieutenant Kotler do to Pavel? Why didn’t anyone help Pavel?
• Why does Bruno want Shmuel to crawl under the fence? (page 150)
• Why does Bruno try to conceal mentioning Shmuel to his sister? (page 154)
• How did Bruno deceive his sister about Shmuel? (page 156)
• How does talking about Shmuel affect Bruno? (page 158)
• Why does Gretel make fun of Bruno? How is her jest ironic? (page 159)
• What were some of Bruno’s reasons for not liking Lieutenant Kotler? (page 162-163)
• Why is Shmuel in the kitchen? How did he get there? (page 166)
• How are Bruno’s hands and Shmuel’s hands different? Why is this significant? (page 167)
• Why is Shmuel afraid to eat the food Bruno has offered? (page 170)
• Why didn’t Bruno speak up to defend Shmuel? (page 171)
• What does Bruno say that finally wins Shmuel’s acceptance? How does Shmuel show he forgives his friend? (page 175)

Chapters Sixteen to Twenty

• Why does Bruno return to Berlin? (page 176)
• Why was Father sad? (page 177)
• Why would Grandmother be upset about the wreath from the Fury? (page 177)
• For Bruno, what is the best thing about life at Out-With? (page 178)
• How did Gretel’s room change? (page 180)
• What was wrong with Gretel and Bruno’s hair? (page 184)
• Why are Mother and Father shouting again? (page 187)
• What does Gretel miss about life in Berlin? (page 189)
• Why are Father and Gretel silent after Bruno’s remark about the children behind the fence? (page 191)
• What news does Bruno have for Shmuel? (page 194)
• Why did Shmuel stay away for so many days? (page 194)
• How do Bruno and Shmuel plan to play together? (page 199)
• How does the uniform Shmuel provides remind Bruno of his Grandmother? (page 205)
• What did Bruno expect to find behind the fence? What did Bruno discover instead? (page 207)
• What kept Bruno from going straight home? (page 208)
• What does Bruno do and say to comfort Shmuel? (page 212)
• Why did Mother stay at Out-With longer than expected? (page 214)
• What clues were discovered after Bruno’s disappearance? (page 215)
• What realization did Father piece together at the fence? (page 215)
• Why does the author state at the end of the story “Of course all of this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in this day and age”? (page 216)

Use a copy of John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and a few sheets of blank paper to complete the following study guide tasks. These tasks are designed to help you grasp the big picture about this novel and figure out exactly what the author is trying to teach you about people and events in history.

Connecting Themes in John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

When you consider the themes or life lessons about a story, you look at the story holistically and not in separate parts. Test your knowledge of the entire novel by thinking of ways to relate the following themes to events, characters, and conflicts_._ Make a web diagram for each theme. Make sure to include information from the three categories of sources in the novel: the events, characters, and conflicts. As you recall information for each theme, organize your information. You’ll be surprised by the many connections you’ll create through these themes and the entire novel.

• Appearances

Compare and Contrast Characters and Settings

Authors often create characters to offset other characters in a novel. For every good guy, there should be a bad guy; for every good place, a bad place. In John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the author provides many opportunities for the reader to compare and contrast . Here are a few suggestions for comparison and contrast from the novel. Use a Venn diagram (two overlapping circles with three total sections to show how two things are different and how they are the same) to compare and contrast the following characters and settings.

• Bruno and Gretel
• Bruno and Shmuel
• Pavel and Lieutenant Kotler
• Berlin and Out-With
• Mother and Father

If you’ve survived this study guide then you’re sure to do well on any exam or essay or book report you need to complete for class. John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas offers plenty of discussion topics for you to use, so don’t be afraid to explore your minds to ask the tough questions and make the connections to help you see the big picture within this masterpiece of a novel.

• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas cover jacket - Wikimedia Commons
• Boyne, John. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. David Fickling Books: New York, 2006.

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THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS

SUBJECTS — World/WWII & Germany; ELA (irony);

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING — Human Rights; Friendship;

MORAL-ETHICAL EMPHASIS — Respect; Responsibility; Caring.

AGE : 13+; MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some mature thematic material involving the Holocaust;

Drama; 2008, 94 minutes; Color . Available from Amazon.com .

Benefits of the Movie Possible Problems Parenting Points Selected Awards & Cast Helpful Background

Discussion Questions Social-Emotional Learning Moral-Ethical Emphasis (Character Counts)

Assignments and Projects Bridges to Reading Links to the Internet Bibliography

MOVIE WORKSHEETS & STUDENT HANDOUTS

TWM offers the following movie worksheets to keep students’ minds on the film and to focus their attention on the lessons to be learned from the movie.

Film Study Worksheet for a Work of Historical Fiction and

Worksheet for Cinematic and Theatrical Elements and Their Effects .

Teachers can modify the movie worksheets to fit the needs of each class. See also TWM’s Historical Fiction in Film Cross-Curricular Homework Project .

DESCRIPTION

The time is WWII; the place, Germany. Bruno is an 8 year old boy whose father is promoted to be commandant of a death camp. The family lives in a luxurious house isolated in the country. The only person Bruno’s age to play with is Shmuel, a boy behind the barbed wire of the camp. Bruno is told by his family that the camp is a farm and refers to the uniforms of the incarcerated Jews as “striped pajamas.” Slowly and reluctantly he comes to know part of the truth about the camp and his father. Bruno’s attempt to make up for an earlier betrayal of his friend causes Bruno to don the “pajamas” and sneak into the camp to help search for Shmuel’s lost father. While Bruno’s father frantically searches for his son, the boys are herded with a group of inmates into one of the gas chambers. Holding hands, they die together.

This film is based on a work of historical fiction by Irish novelist John Boyne.

SELECTED AWARDS & CAST

Selected Awards: 2008 British Independent Film Awards: Best Actress (Vera Farmiga); Nominated: Best Director (Mark Herman) and Most Promising Newcomer (Asa Butterfield, as Bruno)

Featured Actors: Asa Butterfield, Vera Farmiga, David Thewlis.

Director: Mark Herman.

BENEFITS OF THE MOVIE

This film presents a child’s point of view of the Holocaust and serves as a valuable supplement for any study of Germany’s effort to exterminate the Jews of Europe. The relationship between the two boys demonstrates the absurdity of judgments based on bloodline. The innocence of childhood is a concept which dominates the movie and supports a perspective on the Holocaust that is important for a full understanding of German atrocities during the Second World War.

Social Studies Classes: “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” is one of many films designed to make the Holocaust personal for today’s students. It is not intended to reflect historical accuracy. Instead, it illuminates the following points about the events of the European theatre in WWII:

• The disregard for the plight of the Jews by common German people during the Holocaust;
• The denial process applied to the immorality of what Germany was doing to the Jews;
• The propaganda used in educating German children, including the propagation of anti-Semitism;
• The existence and suppression of dissenting points of view; (for more on this, see The White Rose );
• The callous and casual manner in which the Germans developed more efficient killing methods;
• The ironies involved in the failure to adhere to well-developed standards of ethics, such as in the treatment of children.

The Discussion Questions provided in this Learning Guide will help explore these areas of focus. Suggested Research Assignments can be given to individuals or to groups of students.

English Language Arts Classes: The film and the discussions suggested below will motivate students to apply themselves to essay and research assignments, encouraging them to practice several skills required by ELA Curriculum standards. When used in a literature class, the movie provides an excellent example of theme and plot based on situational irony. The film also provides cross-curricular benefits for the study of the Second World War and the Holocaust.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS

MINIMAL. The ending is appropriately shocking and sad.

PARENTING POINTS

This film is appropriate for viewing only by children who already have some knowledge of the Holocaust. People can accept the story and the tone of the film better when they have some acquaintance with the concepts and the sadness they will encounter.

Ask and answer the Quick Discussion Question and talk about any other points in the film that might interest your child.

HELPFUL BACKGROUND

More than a million Jewish children below the age of 16 died in the Holocaust. Some historians estimate the loss at more than 1.5 million. Children from Gypsy communities and the mentally and physically disabled were also targeted for death by the Nazis. The death rate for children was higher than that for adults; it is estimated that 89 to 94 percent of the total population of Jewish children in German-occupied areas were murdered in Germany’s effort to eliminate Jews from Europe, whereas only two-thirds, or about 67 percent, of the adult Jews died.

Jewish children living in German-controlled areas began to suffer from the Nazi ideology years before the camps were built. In 1933, for example, a law was passed that limited the number of Jewish children in public schools to 1.5 percent of the total of all children attending school. This figure included university students. Within five years, legislation was passed that prohibited Jews from attending German school altogether and Jewish schools were closed entirely in l942. The first concentration camp devoted entirely to killing Jews was opened in December 1941.

Children suffered terribly from the isolation and hardship forced upon their families by German legislators prior to the creation of the death camps. There were efforts to help Jewish children, but they only scratched the surface of the problem. “Kindertransports” transferred nearly 10,000 mostly-Jewish children to safe countries before war broke out in 1939. The United Kingdom was alone among the countries willing to help fund the process of rescuing the endangered children. British citizens paid nearly 250 dollars per child to move children between the ages of 3 and 17 out of threatened areas of Europe. Without the highly organized and perilous assistance of the Quakers, many of these children would have been forced to remain behind due to a Nazi edict that made it virtually impossible for Jews to use trams, trains, and port facilities. Aside from the assistance of the Quakers, there were individuals who came forward to assist in the effort to save the threatened children. One British citizen of German-Jewish ancestry, Nicholas Winton, established a rescue effort for Czech children that managed to send several hundred endangered children to safety. Only about 20% of the children who participated in the various rescue operations were eventually returned to their home countries and reunited with what remained of their families.

Efforts in the U.S. to help the Jews of Europe were limited by the entrenched anti-Semitism of the time. The most visible effort was called “One Thousand Children,” a pitifully small number given the size of the United States and number of children in need. The plan was in effect between l934 and 1945, but efforts to expand the program met with difficulty when the Wagner-Rogers Bill, which would have permitted the admission of 20,000 Jewish refugee children, was rejected by Congress in 1939.

Before the war, European Jewish children were persecuted and isolated from the rest of society. After the onset of war, ghettos and transit camps were established in every country occupied by Germany and children began to suffer and die from malnutrition, disease, exposure, and eventually from outright murder in the death camps. Anne Frank, sent to a concentration camp after her family’s hiding place was betrayed by an informant, died of typhus at Bergen-Belsen in March of 1945, just two months before the War in Europe ended.

Non-Jewish German children faced a different sort of deprivation, which is in no way comparable to the difficulties faced by their Jewish or Gypsy counterparts. The boys were required to join the Hitler Youth organization and subjected to the militaristic mentality that would feed them directly into the Nazi party. The propaganda machine worked tirelessly on these children to remove any values or beliefs other than those promulgated by the Nazi party. Some reports indicate that boys as young as 12 years old participated in military units and fought directly against Allied forces. Girls, too, were expected to support Hitler’s war efforts. Those between 10 and 18 years old were taught homemaking and nursing skills and were used to tend German troops injured on the battlefield. In the film, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” the methods used by the German propaganda machine are clearly portrayed in the scenes involving Gretel, the 12-year-old sister of the film’s protagonist. The few young people who tried to resist that Nazi regime were dealt with cruelly. See Learning Guide to “The White Rose” .

For more about the fate of children in the Holocaust, see Learning Guide to Four Films About Anne Frank and the websites listed in the Links to the Internet section below. For other films about the experience of children in the Holocaust, see Europa! Europa! , and Au Revoir Les Enfants .

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

See Questions Suitable for Any Film That is a Work of Fiction .

1. In the opening scene of the film, boys are running happily through an upper-class area of Berlin. They run past a group of Jews carrying their meager belongings being herded into a truck. What irony can be found in this scene?

Suggested Response:

There are several levels of irony. The first is that by the end of the film, Bruno will suffer the same fate as the people being ignored. The second is that many of the prosperous German children and adults who are ignoring the destruction of the lives of the Jews will, in a few years, suffer a similar fate when the Allies reduced large parts of German cities to rubble.\

2. What ethical problem is foreshadowed when Bruno’s father tells him, “Life is more about duties than choices?”

Answers will vary. Students should be able to note that choices are made in part by considering the ethics of the proposed action. When people do not take their own ethics into account, they are abandoning the obligation to act ethically. Bruno’s father is little more than a slave if he believes he has no choice in the actions that he takes and if he leaves it up to others to make decisions for him. Some students may suggest that adherence to duty, for example to one’s country in time of war, disallows all ethical considerations. However, even in warfare there are ethical decisions to be made by common soldiers as well as by leaders. For example, U.S. soldiers are instructed that they are not to obey an order from a superior instructing them to commit a crime against humanity or a war crime.

3. When Bruno’s father comes down the elegant staircase in his home, he is met by the classic Nazi salute. His mother sneers and asks him if he is still that little boy who loved dressing up. She asks him if uniforms still make him feel special. What is she suggesting here?

Bruno’s father has been promoted to commandant of a death camp and is being honored for the distinction. His mother is clearly opposed to the Hitler regime and seems to be saying that the participants are little boys who need attention.

4. When Bruno sees people in striped pajamas across a fence that he assumes marks the boundary of a farm, he questions his father and is told that they are inferior beings and not worth being considered as people. Later Bruno hears the sentiment echoed by his tutor. How is this concept important to any genocide and what causes Bruno to see things differently?

Genocides occur when society denies the humanity of a minority and decides to exterminate the minority. This conception of the Jews is never really adopted by Bruno. Incidents that cause Bruno to see things differently from his father and his society include his meeting with Pavel, the man who works as a servant in his home and who is wearing the Striped pajamas under his servant’s clothing. Pavel helps Bruno make a tire swing and when Bruno is injured, Pavel dresses the wound. Bruno learns that Pavel was a doctor before working as a servant. Later, Bruno meets Shmuel and is happy to have a friend his own age. Learning about them, Bruno does not see these two individuals as different, non-human, or inferior. Thus, the suggestion is made that knowing an individual can shift the attitude about a group that is held by society.

5. Gretel, Bruno’s sister, is seen several times with her dolls and then one day Bruno finds the discarded dolls ominously piled into a dark corner of the cellar. What does this image tell the film’s viewers about the changes the girl is experiencing?

Gretel is losing her innocence. She has developed a crush on the German soldier, Karl, who guards her home and washes the cars. She wants to impress him. She accepts the anti-Semitic propaganda she reads with her tutor without question and fills the wall space of her room with Nazi posters. The image of the discarded dolls in the cellar creates a powerful symbol for her lost compassion.

6. His tongue loosened by alcohol, Karl reveals information about his father’s exodus from Germany. This information threatens Karl, despite his clear loyalty to the Nazi party and his role in the household as the brutal disciplinarian of the camp inmates who serve the household. What is revealed about Karl’s cruelty in his brutal attack on Pavel, the servant who spills wine at the dinner table. Why does Karl beat Pavel so brutally? What is the irony in what happens to Karl in this story?

Karl understands that he has talked too much and takes his fears out on the old man by beating him brutally as the family continues its meal in the next room. In addition, Karl is trying to demonstrate his hatred of Jews and his loyalty to Nazi principles. However, Karl’s fate is cast by his admission that he did not report his father to the authorities. Bruno’s father then reports Karl and the young man is transferred to the Eastern front where he will likely be killed. The irony in what happens to Karl is that he is trying to live up to the Nazi ideal, but it is those ideals that send him to his likely death.

7. The beating of Pavel serves as a turning point for Bruno’s mother who is increasingly opposed to her husband’s work in the military. What solution does her husband offer to help her cope with her disillusion and fear?

Bruno’s father decides to send his family to live with an aunt in Berlin. He seems to think that being away from the situation will make his wife feel better. He is unwilling to accept her beliefs, as he was unwilling to accept his mother’s beliefs. He chooses to offer a distraction rather than a solution to the problem.

8. What is revealed in the characters of both Bruno and Shmuel in the episode in which Karl finds the two boys together in the family home and questions their actions?

When Karl demands to know where Shmuel got the food he is eating, Bruno is afraid and lies, thus betraying his friendship with Shmuel. Shmuel is beaten and sent back behind the barbed wire. When Bruno apologizes to Shmuel for his betrayal, he is readily forgiven. This shows both the fear in which Bruno is living and his growing awareness of his father’s complicity in the misery suffered by Pavel as well as Shmuel. It also shows the innocence of children in the ease with which they can forgive. It indicates the importance of forgiveness and loyalty in friendship, which can surpass betrayal.

9. An important element of irony can be seen when Bruno spies on the viewing of the propaganda film which shows the camps to be comfortable places where Jews are treated fairly and not made to suffer the hardships that truly existed. Bruno knows the difference and is disturbed. What is revealed in this scene?

Bruno is beginning to understand but is still fighting the reality that is unfolding around him. His mother is fading as she grows increasingly disturbed by her husband’s role in maintaining the camp. Bruno no longer feels proud of his father. Bruno is struggling to make sense out of two conflicting views of reality. His innocence is slowly starting to give way.

10. The film’s final episode is filled with several stark ironies. List three of the ironies.

Here are several ironies in the final episode. There may be more. It is ironic that while the family is preparing to move the children to Berlin for safety, Bruno is preparing to move into danger by entering the camp to help his friend Shmuel find his father. It is ironic that the goal of Bruno’s father in his work is to kill Jewish people in the gas chambers and his son becomes a victim of one of those gas chambers. It is ironic that Bruno’s effort to help his friend Shmuel, a loving and selfless act of friendship, will result in Bruno’s death. It is ironic that some of the men herding the Jews into the camp are inmates, wearing the same striped pajamas as the people they are hearding to their deaths, and that their own fates are not assured by this betrayal.

11. The plot of this film turns on one basic irony that is central to an important theme of the work. What is it? Can you identify any other stories in which the plot turns on a major irony that is central to an important theme?

The overriding irony in “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” is that Bruno dies in a death camp which his father is administering for the purpose of killing Jews. This irony is important to the theme that if you commit wrong to others, you or persons dear to you may suffer as a result. Note that there is no one correct way to describe the theme, but that it must relate to the fundamental irony of Bruno’s death in the gas chambers. There are may stories in which the plot turns on a basic irony that is central to an important theme. Here are a few: Cyrano de Bergerac; To Kill a Mockingbird; All My Sons; Billy Budd; The Scarlet Letter; and Fahrenheit 451.

HUMAN RIGHTS

See discussion questions 1, 2, 4, 5 above.

See Discussion Questions: 4 and 8, above.

MORAL-ETHICAL EMPHASIS (CHARACTER COUNTS)

Discussion Questions Relating to Ethical Issues will facilitate the use of this film to teach ethical principles and critical viewing. Additional questions are set out below.

RESPONSIBILITY

(Do what you are supposed to do; Persevere: keep on trying!; Always do your best; Use self-control; Be self-disciplined; Think before you act — consider the consequences; Be accountable for your choices)

See Discussion Question 2 above.

(Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule; Be tolerant of differences; Use good manners, not bad language; Be considerate of the feelings of others; Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone; Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements)

See Discussion Question 4 above.

(Be kind; Be compassionate and show you care; Express gratitude; Forgive others; Help people in need)

See Discussion Question 1 above.

ASSIGNMENTS, PROJECTS & ACTIVITIES

See, Assignments, Projects, and Activities for Use With any Film that is a Work of Fiction

Topics for further study by both Social Studies and ELA classes:

• Efforts to rescue or to hide children in German-occupied Europe during World War II;
• Individuals involved in the efforts to rescue Jewish children from Europe during Hitler’s years;
• The efforts of religions, such as the Quakers, the French Protestants, or others in helping Jewish children during WWII;
• The operation of the Death Camps;
• Hitler’s propaganda machinery;
• The increasing persecution of the Jews up to the declaration of war;
• The persecution of the Jews after the declaration of War;
• Hitler youth organizations for both boys and girls;
• Survivor’s stories;
• Psychological studies of camp survivors;
• The ethical arguments for and against the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine as a haven for the Jews of Europe; and
• The role of Adolph Eichman in the “Final Solution,” his capture decades after the war in Argentina, and his trial and execution in Israel.

Essays can be written on any of the above topics or any others that are suggested by the film. The essays must be researched carefully and written using the class rubric for formal essays. Students can also be required to present the results of their research to the class.

ELA classes may want to deal with “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” as a work of art in itself and some teachers may want to assign students to read the book from which the film has been adapted. The following topics may be assigned for written work and oral presentations:

• Write an essay showing Bruno’s progress from complete innocence to an awakening of understanding about what is going on around him.
• Write an essay on the use of irony in the film and how it lends to overall theme.
• Write a persuasive essay in which you argue for or against the use of a non-Jew as a protagonist in a film showing the evils of the Holocaust.
• Write a review of the film which includes well-sourced information about the controversies associated with the film’s production. Be sure to show both points of view including those who object to what they see as trivialization of the Jews’ experiences in the Holocaust and those who believe that the facts fully justify the presentation of the story.
• Write an essay in which you illustrate the power of the various images used by the director to tell the film’s story. Cite specific scenes and describe in detail what makes each image so powerful.

CCSS ANCHOR STANDARDS

Multimedia: Anchor Standard #7 for Reading (for both ELA classes and for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Classes). (The three Anchor Standards read: “Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media, including visually and quantitatively as well as in words.”) CCSS pp. 35 & 60. See also Anchor Standard # 2 for ELA Speaking and Listening, CCSS pg. 48.

Reading: Anchor Standards #s 1, 2, 7 and 8 for Reading and related standards (for both ELA classes and for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Classes). CCSS pp. 35 & 60.

Writing: Anchor Standards #s 1 – 5 and 7- 10 for Writing and related standards (for both ELA classes and for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Classes). CCSS pp. 41 & 63.

Speaking and Listening: Anchor Standards #s 1 – 3 (for ELA classes). CCSS pg. 48.

Not all assignments reach all Anchor Standards. Teachers are encouraged to review the specific standards to make sure that over the term all standards are met.

BRIDGES TO READING

See The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Reader by John Boyne and The Boy In the Striped Pajamas (Movie Tie-in Edition) (Random House Movie Tie-In Books).

An excellent novel that is easily read by students as young as 12 and appreciated by adult readers as well is The Book Thief by Mark Zuzak, an Australian writer. This book tells the story of a German girl who serves as a witness to the crimes committed by the Nazi system. Death, personified as trying to cast itself as a compassionate and philosophical character, narrates the story in the first person. The book serves to illuminate many of the ideas suggested in “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” but has other important lessons as well.

LINKS TO THE INTERNET

• The Plight of Jewish Children During the Holocaust from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; contains links to many other web pages;
• A Teacher’s Guide to the Holocaust — Children ; with links to many other web pages relating to the experience of children during the Holocaust;
• Life in the Shadows from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum ; contains links to many other web pages;
• H idden Children and the Holocaust from the Jewish Virtual Library

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The websites linked in the Guide.

Written by Mary RedClay and James Frieden .

LEARNING GUIDE MENU:

Benefits of the Movie Possible Problems Parenting Points Selected Awards & Cast Helpful Background Discussion Questions Social-Emotional Learning Moral-Ethical Emphasis (Character Counts) Assignments and Projects Bridges to Reading Links to the Internet Bibliography

MOVIE WORKSHEETS:

Quick discussion question:.

The Germans killed children below the age of ten as soon as they arrived at the concentration camps. In addition, very few German children had fathers who were concentration camp directors. There is no record of a German child dressing like a concentration camp inmate and being accidentally gassed. Why does this story, about two boys who probably could never have existed, make sense?

There is no one right answer. A good answer is that the boys and Bruno’s parents act in ways that people would have acted had they been in this situation. It didn’t happen, but it could have happened.

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

By john boyne, the boy in the striped pajamas themes, gender inequality.

Boyne concerns himself with the plight of female characters, though the details of their specific situations are revealed through the lens of Bruno 's narration. Father 's literal silencing of Mother in most of their conversations is representative of the figurative silencing of women's voices at this point in history, as well as in many times of war. At first, Mother reacts passive aggressively, the only way she can, for example by referring to Father as "some people." When Bruno overhears Mother confronting Father in Chapter Seventeen, she speaks up for herself and demands to leave Out-With. She tells Father, "This is your assignment, not ours. You stay if you want to" (187). At a time when gender roles determined that a wife obey her husband, this distinction between his responsibilities and her own is a bold statement.

Grandmother is outspoken about her strong disapproval of Father's new appointment to Commandant and represents the strongest voice among the female characters, who are the only ones with reservations about what is going on in their country. Maria must keep her silence because of her financial dependence on Bruno's Father and Mother makes small defiant gestures like protecting Pavel , but Grandmother spoke up loud and clear about her disapproval. Unfortunately, because of her position as a woman, she is unable to do anything to stop her son from pursuing his career in the Nazi party.

Childlike Misunderstanding of Tragedy

One of the ways Boyne establishes that the third-person narration is from Bruno's childish point of view is through the use of capitalization and misnaming of specific, recognizable names. For example, Bruno refers to his father's boss as "the Fury"; the reader must extrapolate that this is actually "the Furor," or Adolf Hitler. When Father prompts him to shout "Heil Hitler!" upon leaving the office at the end of Chapter Five, Bruno assumes this notorious Nazi salute is just "another way of saying, 'Well, goodbye for now, have a pleasant afternoon'" (54). Bruno understands that Father's office is "Out Of Bounds At All Times And No Exceptions," a phrase that he has memorized after hearing it many times from his parents, the reader imagines. Bruno's sister, Gretel , is introduced as being "Trouble From Day One" (21). This way of thinking about things so concretely, of making sense of a rule and applying it to all situations, is a characteristic of Bruno that identifies him as a child. The reader is encouraged to take on this childlike point of view through the use of capitalization. Because of the limits of the narrator, the reader is able to approach the horrors of the Holocaust as if he or she has no prior knowledge - much like Bruno. The reader is required to put together details Bruno notices in order to make sense of the larger issues at play.

Timelessness of War and Genocide

In Chapter Three, Gretel tells Bruno that the place they are now living is called "Out-With," and this is what he continues to call it from this point on in the story. It is clearly a misunderstanding of the name "Auschwitz," but by not referring to the concentration camp by its proper name, Boyne avoids specificity to a certain extent. Bruno doesn't understand the derogatory term that Lieutenant Kotler calls Pavel and, later, Shmuel . By not specifically naming the word, Boyne both allows the reader to take on Bruno's childlike perspective and suggests the universality of this interaction. Lieutenant Kotler could be any soldier during any war time, shouting a derogatory term to dehumanize a victim of any genocide. This allows the fable a sense of timelessness, extending beyond the specific situation at Auschwitz.

In the last chapters, Boyne issues a veiled call to action to the reader, who could be living during a time of war or genocide. The most obvious instance is in the ironic tone on the final page of the story, after a devastated Father has been taken away from Out-With: "Of course all this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in this day and age" (216). Boyne means for the reader to consider just the opposite: there are genocides occurring in this day and age, all over the world, and the reader is likely employing various coping strategies to ignore or dismiss them. Bruno's annoyance at being forced to march with the group of Jews in the concentration camp is representative of the disconnect many witnesses to genocide experience. As he is marched through the cold mud and rain, "he longed to be back in his house, watching all this from a distance and not wrapped up in the center of it" (211). This idea is a commentary on the perspective of those who allowed the Holocaust to occur while they remained removed from it, since it did not affect them personally. It applies to all witnesses to genocide in any time or place. The reader is meant to question how easy it is to watch "from a distance," as long as one is not victimized.

Indoctrination

The indoctrination of children employed by the Nazi party is most obvious in the character of Gretel. When we first meet her in Chapter Three, she is clearly a child, though a few years older than Bruno. She spends most of her time arranging her dolls and has brought the entire collection from Berlin with her. Significantly, she is the one who tells Bruno that the name of their new home is "Out-With." This misnaming of the specific location marks Gretel as a child at this point, in contrast to the teenager she will grow into by the end of the story. When Bruno points out how young she is in front of Lieutenant Kotler, she responds by snapping at him, "'I'll be thirteen in a couple of weeks' time. A teenager. Just like you'" (74). Her words to Lieutenant Kotler accomplish two things: first, they foreshadow her mental shift as she grows out of childhood; and second, they remind the reader that some of the Nazi soldiers committing horrible actions against the Jews in the concentration camps were indoctrinated teenagers. Finally, Gretel replaces her collection of dolls with maps of Europe given to her by Father, which she updates using the newspapers each day as she reads about developments in the war. Her transition out of childhood naivete is represented clearly in her correction of Bruno's usage of "Out-With" in place for "Auschwitz." It was she who first told him the name of the place, but now she corrects him. Her understanding of the situation is still simplistic and lacks understanding: she has accepted what her Father and Herr Liszt have taught her without much critical thinking.

Natural vs. Unnatural

The theme of unnaturalness, especially as it relates to Auschwitz and the Holocaust generally, is introduced in Chapter Six. Instead of answering Bruno's question about whether she likes it at Out-With, Maria describes how much she loved the garden at the house in Berlin. Bruno takes this as an indirect answer to his question, since it is in such stark contrast to the atmosphere at Auschwitz. The theme of the Holocaust being unnatural arises again in Chapter Eleven, when Mother protests the move to Out-With by saying, "...as if it's the most natural thing in the world and it's not, it's just not..." (124). The Nazis used the argument that the Aryan race was "naturally" superior to all others, using the idea of natural dominance as justification in exterminating the Jewish population. But Boyne turns this assumption on its head, pointing out throughout the story just how "unnatural" the atmosphere and situation at Out-With really is.

Justification of Evil Actions

Boyne embeds questions and key ideas about the nature of human interaction into the characters' conversations in order to draw the reader's attention to larger issues. For example, Father assures Bruno that the Jews on the other side of the fence are "not people at all" - this is how he justifies to himself killing them at Auschwitz (53).

Maria's description of how kind Father has been to her serves as a commentary on the mental and emotional justification for Nazi soldiers generally, who might do kind deeds and appear to be wonderful people in other parts of their lives, while simultaneously carrying out the extermination of Jews.

Complacency

Bruno's betrayal of Shmuel in front of Lieutenant Kotler is representative of the many people who betrayed their Jewish neighbors and friends during the Holocaust in similar ways, by simply being complacent. By distancing himself from Shmuel because he is afraid of the consequences of associating with the boy, Bruno contributes to Shmuel's punishment for a crime he did not commit: stealing food. The way Bruno considers his actions immediately following the event reflects a personal disconnect: "He wondered how a boy who thought he was a good person really could act in such a cowardly way toward a friend" (174). He feels ashamed of himself, but does not take action to right the wrong. When Shmuel finally returns to meet him at the fence, his face covered in bruises, Bruno apologizes. His words could have easily come from any of the Germans who fell in line with the Nazis and didn't speak up for the Jews during the Holocaust.

Another example of the theme of complacency is when Lieutenant Kotler attacks Pavel for accidentally spilling the wine on him. The narrator only states that, "What happened then was both unexpected and extremely unpleasant. Lieutenant Kotler grew very angry with Pavel and no one - not Bruno, not Gretel, not Mother and not even Father - stepped in to stop him doing what he did next, even though none of them could watch" (148-49). This omission of detail makes the interaction representative of all acts of violence against Jews at the hands of Nazis and, in fact, against the oppressed group in any genocide throughout history. Bruno and his family represent the bystanders who were repulsed by did not act to stop the violence.

Arbitrary Boundaries

The most obvious boundary in the story is the fence dividing Bruno's side of Out-With from Shmuel's side. But Boyne calls into question the arbitrary boundaries that got each boy to his side of the fence: most importantly, that between Jews and "Opposites." Shmuel serves as a mirror character for Bruno; they were born on the same day, and Bruno declares, "We're like twins" (110). The symbols of the Star of David and the Nazi Swastika, which are never named, come to represent the arbitrary boundary that allowed the Nazis to exterminate other human beings. In Chapter Twelve, Shmuel describes how he came to have to wear his Star of David armband and draws the symbol in the dirt. Bruno points out that his Father wears one, too, and draws the Nazi symbol in the dirt on his side of the fence. The key difference between them is that Shmuel is Jewish and thus a member of the oppressed group in this genocide, while Bruno happens to be German and thus a member of the oppressing group. When Bruno tells Shmuel that Father also wears an armband, Shmuel observes, "Yes, but they're different, aren't they?" (127).

The use of Shmuel's point of view further blurs the boundary between the two boys. When Bruno has put on the pajamas and turns around to show Shmuel what he looks like, "It was almost (Shmuel thought) as if they were all exactly the same really" (204). Boyne puts the indication of Shmuel's point of view in parentheses in order to imply that while the thought is Shmuel's, it is also a commentary on the situation generally. Once Bruno puts on the pajamas he looks no different from Shmuel, but really, the distinction made between the Jews and the Germans is arbitrary and erroneous, since they are all human beings.

Human Nature

At the core of this story is the question of what constitutes human nature. It especially emerges through the different characters' actions and personalities. While Shmuel and Bruno represent the childlike capacity for good and kindness, Lieutenant Kotler and Father demonstrate man's ability to execute unbelievable cruelty. In a story about the Holocaust, this question of how humans are inclined to treat one another and react in tragic situations is at the forefront.

Boyne seems to suggest that humans are constantly choosing how to treat themselves and others, rather than pointing to an inherent tendency for good or evil. Even at a young age, Bruno is able to change his perspective regarding live at "Out-With" throughout the course of the story. In contrast, Gretel chooses to become indoctrinated and wrapped up in the evil of the Nazi brainwashing.

The theme of innocence is tied to that of Bruno's childlike misunderstanding of the tragedy through which he is living. His innocence prevents him from understanding, in the last chapters, the fate he is about to experience in the gas chamber. As he is marched along with the other prisoners, "he wanted to whisper to them that everything was all right, that Father was the Commandant, and if this was the kind of thing that he wanted the people to do then it must be all right" (210). Bruno is, of course, completely wrong: this is the sort of thing Father wants the Jews to do, but there is nothing "all right" about it. The very character in whom Bruno has faith is the one who is bringing about the deaths of so many, his own son included.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

How does Bruno feel about his sister?

Bruno sees his sister as a hopeless case..... not someone he would choose to play with. Gretel is, of course, older and unlikely to be interested in the same things as Bruno.

' I don't see what else there is to do other than that,' said Bruno...

We are all in the same boat and it´s leaking. Who says this to whom and what does he /she mean by it?

“ Well you've been brought here against your will, just like I have. If you ask me, we're all in the same boat. And it's leaking.”

Bruno is speaking with Maria the housemaid. Bruno is using the metaphor of a sinking boat to the feeling he gets...

What do the children’s father tell them

He tells them quite a few things. What chapter are you referring to?

Study Guide for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas study guide contains a biography of John Boyne, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.

• Trying Themes of 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas'
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas as a Genuine Fable

Lesson Plan for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

• Introduction
• Genre and style