A Piece of Reading Recommended for Every Parent (Essay Sample)

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A Piece of Reading Recommended for Every Parent
“The boy in the striped Pajama” is a story about Bruno and his innocent reactions towards the Nazi regime. The story takes place in Berlin, Germany in 1940. The story has been crafted around a true political situation where the innocent Jews had to undergo harsher punishments for no reason. The dictatorship of Hitler and his sectionalism has been described by the writer through the characterization of “Bruno”. Bruno is the son of a Nazi commandant and he comes to stay in a strange and isolated place which is not like his old place Berlin. Unlike Berlin, none seems to walk on the street or talks to each other in this strange place. Bruno has to leave for this place as his father gets promotion. Though the family of the commandant including Bruno shows discontent about leaving Berlin, they leave Berlin due to the demand of his father’s job. Near his new house, he sees fence surrounding a large area. Everything appears very strange to Bruno in the new place.
The story is developed on the perception of a nine year old boy “Bruno” who is unaware of the death camp of Auschwitz. The story progresses with the growing desire of the boy to talk with the kids staying opposite side of the fence. The boy feels lonely at his new house and he looks out of his window to see the ground where many kids live. He finds it unjust to have no friends to play with as there are staying many children near his house. His urge to play with friends intensifies as he sees many children opposite side of the fence. He describes his desire to his older sister, Gretel. Though Gretel does not involve much with the affairs of her brother, Bruno becomes restless about exploring the area surrounded by the fence. Throughout his exploration, he discovers that all the men, children and elderly people living there wear the same kind of dress which is “pair of striped pajamas with striped caps on their heads”. His desire to unravel the unknown makes him talk to his father too. He talks to his father regarding the people living opposite side of the fence. He learns from his father bad about those people but Maria, the housemaid has a different opinion about those people. His confusion and curiosity deepens further. The book hides the concept of Nazi death camps till the mid of the story and the main character Bruno goes on exploring the death camp in a childish manner. Though the story conceives a nine year old boy as the protagonist, the story is not meant for small children. Beginning of the story involves incidents that may attract young readers but the end of the depiction leads towards pathos. The book can be seen as a reflection of the history of Adolf Hitler and his dictatorship. Perhaps, this piece of reading is recommended for parents who usually under the veil of their work neglect their child. The consequences of neglecting a child can be as horrible as Bruno crossing the fence (Boyne).
Bruno as a child loves exploration but he is denied to explore any new area in the new place. One day, he starts walking along the fence as he develops a strong urge to do so. He notices a boy wearing a pair of striped pajamas near the fence. Bruno starts a conversation with the boy whose name is “Shmuel”. The boy tells Bruno that he belongs to Poland and they have been forcefully exiled from their own place to live here. The soldiers packed him, his family and others of his region into a truck to make them reach here. Bruno regularly visits Shmuel so that they can have a hearty talk. They both sit on their own side of the fence and start their conversation. Bruno sees Shmuel in his house when Lieutenant Kotler brings Shmuel to Commandant’s house to clean the glass (Boyne). The book is a good psychological judge of children. Somewhere Bruno’s parent fails to read and judge the child’s psychology and that brings them a terrible experience. Children do love experiencing new surrounding and start exploring them when they get time. It is the duty of the parents to be vigilant on the child which has been well described by John Boyne. The book incorporates both the history of a country as well as advice for the parents.
The book continues with the friendship of Bruno with Shmuel which progresses towards a tragic end. The book begins with a tone of entertainment where Bruno is seen as an adventurous boy. The tone slowly changes when the boy along with his family leaves Berlin. The tone of sadness and grief encircles the story as the plot shifts from Berlin to a new place. Then the story entangles suspense and loneliness which become the major factor in weaving of the plot. The suspense goes on until the job of Bruno’s father and the scene behind the fence get revealed. The shade of restlessness and unfaithfulness makes the story further dark. The book has been successful in representing the dark side of the world. With the presentation of growing estranged behaviour of Bruno towards his family members, his attachment with the skinny boy in striped pajamas and his mother’s increasing detachment towards her family; the darkness of the story increases. These elements of the story together bring the distress of the plot alive. The book through the creation of sadness draws the picture of sorrow that the Jews had to undergo during the Nazi regime.
The book is well written as far as child-psychology and adult negligence is related. Adults do have a habit of neglecting the curiosity of a child. Here Boyne describes the unforeseen consequences of avoiding the curiosity of a child. Every urge and peculiarities of a child must be dealt with care and empathy which is absent in the parenting of Bruno.
The unique approach of Boyne towards holocaust is another element which leaves the readers bewildered. The fate of the Jews effectuated in the history of mankind is the most miserable affair decided by Hitler. The emotional and empathetic aspect of the story can be realized through the incident where the son of the commandant goes missing. The empathy towards the imprisoned members can be felt by the commandant when his son disappears. It is easier to punish rather than empathizing harsh situation. This can be noticed in the book when parents of Bruno search him madly and his mother returns to Berlin thinking that Bruno must have returned Berlin to see his grandparents. When she does not find him there, the pity aggravates. The effect of the holocaust is better empathized by this situation where Bruno goes missing.
The book has used a unique way of representing human being in different roles. The army commandant is being described as the man of strictness and in the next scenes he is revealing the tenets of a perplexed father. The army man discovering the clothes of Bruno near the fence breaks him down emotionally. He understands what might have happened with his son. In the next scenes he is a man with no-principle. The book has perfectly described the human nature and the influence of power. As far as a man is emotionally stable, he uses his power. Lack of emotional stability can break every personal pr...