THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS

THE BOOK IN ITS CONTEXT

The book is a 2006 Holocaust novel that was written to teach boys about Holocaust and refugees camp, where millions of Jews were killed by Nazies soldier in gas chambers. 

It is able to consider as a fairytale for kids, but it hides a dramatic situation.

A BRIEF SUMMARY

Bruno is a nine-year-old boy growing up during Worl War II in Berlin, who lives with his parents and his sister Gretel. After a visit by Adolf Hitler, Bruno's father is promoted to Commandant and the family has to move to "Out-with" because of the orders of "The Fury" (Bruno's naïve interpretation of the word "Führer"). Although our main character is initially upset about moving to Out-With (never identified, but we can guess that it's  Auschwitz) and leaving his friends. 

From his new home, Bruno sees a camp and one day, Bruno decides to explore the strange wire fence. As he walks along the fence, he meets a Jewish boy named Shmuel, who he learns shares his birthday. Shmuel says that his father, grandfather, and brother are with him on this side of the fence, but he is separated from his mother. Bruno and Shmuel talk and become very good friends, although Bruno still does not understand very much about Shmuel and his side of the fence. Nearly every day, unless it's raining Bruno goes to see Shmuel and sneaks him food. As the meetings go on, and Shmuel gets more and more skinny, Bruno's naïveté means he never realizes he is living beside a death camp.

When lice eggs are discovered in Bruno's hair he is forced to get all of his hair shaved off. Bruno comments that he looks like Shmuel, and Shmuel agrees, except that Bruno is fatter. Bruno's mother eventually persuades his father to take them back to Berlin and stay at Out-With without them.

The next day Bruno concocts a plan with Shmuel to sneak into the camp to look for Shmuel's father. Shmuel brings a set of prison clothes (which look to Bruno like striped pyjamas), and Bruno leaves his own clothes outside the fence. As they search the camp, both children are rounded up along with a group of prisoners on a "march". In the gas chamber, Bruno apologizes to Shmuel for not finding his father, and tells Shmuel that he is Bruno's best friend for life. Shmuel does not answer, as at that moment the door of the gas chamber is closed, it becomes dark, and all is chaos.

Bruno's mother and sister return to Berlin, where they hope to find Bruno sitting on the doorstep, but do not. His father stays at Out-With, where he finally works out what had happened. When soldiers come to take him away from Out-With, he is happy to be leaving.

AN INTERVIEW OF HIS AUTHOR

AUDIOBOOK

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