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The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas Innocence Quotes

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The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas Essay Vishal Kotecha 8M

‘The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas is a book that demonstrates childhood innocence. Discuss’

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, written by John Boyne, follows the sad story of a boy named Bruno, the main protagonist, who lives a wealthy lifestyle in Germany prior to World War II. After Bruno’s father is approached by The Führer, the family relocates to the countryside where his father is assigned to take command of a concentration camp. A few days after they move to Auschwitz, Bruno befriends another youth, strangely dressed in striped pyjamas, named Shmuel who lives behind an electric fence. The fable highlights childhood innocence because of the following reasons: …show more content…

He innocently believes all is fine and everyone around him is treated equally, wondering “What exactly was the difference?” This is a repeating idea readers are reminded of throughout the fable. Innocence is further portrayed when Bruno’s friend, Shmuel requests some food. Bruno, unaware, of the true situation within the camp, questions himself as to why Shmuel would want food, with his perception being that everyone within the camp was happy, and well fed. This innocence fades as he becomes an occupant of the camp, following sneaking through the fence and coming to the realisation that everyone was actually quite depressed and miserable within the camp. Bruno’s comparative impressions of the campsite before being an occupant and thereafter following his own personal experiences within the camp, highlights his innocence, and the evolution of …show more content…

Since Bruno has almost no knowledge of the Holocaust (where Jews were exterminated solely because of their race) and what was happening during the time, he continues to believe that Shmuel’s side of the fence is better than his side. In the novel, Bruno is last seen standing in the gas chamber with Shmuel, holding hands, awaiting death they are both unaware of. Reference is made to "the chaos that followed," which can easily be taken to mean the chaos of the inmates being gassed.
Before their unfortunate death, “[Bruno] took hold of Shmuel's tiny hand in his and squeezed it tightly. "You're my best friend, Shmuel," he said. "My best friend for life.”
This scene of the book underlines the theme of innocence as Bruno assumes they were getting everyone under cover so they do not become wet from pouring rain outside. He also realises that the bond between him and Shmuel turns into a priceless friendship and has truly met his best friend. It shows that he has been brought up in a different kind of world than the Jews and is not used to these kind of conditions which aids the theme of childhood

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