The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas Questions

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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas John Boyne Summary: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is the tale of a surprising yet tender friendship set on both sides of the fence in Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Readers understand the story through the naïve perceptions of Bruno, a nine-year old who moves to a place he calls Out-With when a man he refers to as the Fury offers his father a job as Commandant of the camp. Bruno is homesick for friends and family in Germany after moving to Poland where he laments his small house and the strange fence in the backyard that separates him from the people who wear striped pyjamas each day. This all changes when Bruno befriends Shmuel, a Jewish boy from the other side of the fence who Bruno does not see as very different from himself. When Bruno decides to explore further and join Shmuel on the other side of the fence, it becomes clear that Bruno cannot comprehend the horrors of the world in which he lives. The novel explores themes of friendship, bravery, and humanity, often through exploring their opposites, and Boyne uses Bruno’s innocence as a foil to expose the hatred and injustices of the Holocaust. Bruno’s limited world view and egotism however, create a minimal picture of the circumstances making some historical knowledge necessary to fully grasp the book’s meaning. Due to the mature subject matter and plot elements, this novel is recommended for students age twelve and older. What the judges said: When father’s work takes the family to Out-With, Bruno’s secure, agreeable life in wartime Berlin is turned upside down. In Out-With Bruno, aged nine, meets Herr Liszt, and later, Shmuel, a boy in striped pyjamas. Bruno is confident that he can help Shmuel find his father. This haunting, unsettling tale tells how the boys join hands and become friends - for life. About the Author: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is John
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