Boy In The Striped Pajamas Research Paper

“We don’t have the luxury of thinking… Some people make all the decisions for us.” (Boyne 13). Although a work of fiction, this quote from Boy in the Striped Pajamas accurately depicts the mindset of many people during the Holocaust, especially children. Children of the Holocaust endured many horrific events that irrevocably changed their lives. Life before concentration camps were calm, and there was a sense of peace within the country. They experienced much persecution with the events revolving around the German camps. Through many events, the children’s lives were changed by the many occurrences. About 1.5 million children and teenagers were funneled through the camps, and only around 105,000 survived (“Children”). For the Jews, life before persecution could be considered tranquil. Jewish people held jobs in all spectrums of life (Jewish Life in Europe). Doctors, lawyers, and business owners were just a miniscule portion of what positions were held by Jews in society. Schooling for children depended on desires for the future. Some concluded schooling early to pursue a skill or trade; others finished school and went through college levels. Overall, Jewish life was normal. But, with the rise of Nazi power in Germany every Jew became feasible prospects (Jewish Life in Europe). For the Germans, a master scheme was necessary for their overthrow to take place. German masterminds such as Adolf Hitler, Hermann Goering, Heinrich Himmler, and Joseph Goebbels gained the support of many Germans by using propaganda and fear (source). They used propaganda to inform the people that their way of thinking was correct. These men pushed their way of thought into the community members. Influential officials also used a scare tactic. They would discriminate, persecute, outcast those who believed differently than they did. At the end of the day, if you instill fear in people they are likely to do what you force them to partake in. “Common sense could not understand that it was possible to exterminate tens and hundreds of thousands of Jews.” (Zuckerman) This quote from a respected leader of the Jewish resistance, Yitzhak Zuckerman, shows that perception and deception were key in the overthrow of German government. Perspective was everything to those involved in the Nazi capture of Germany. The Nazis deceived the world around them. Campaigns were waged to change the perspective of the German population into the hatred of the Jews (Deceiving the Public). By the end of the war, two out of every three Jews would be dead, and Jewish life would be changed forever (“Jewish Life in Europe”). “I had been separated from from my mother so long that the word mother meant nothing to me (Fritz).” Deportations were considered, to some, the most brutal part of the Holocaust. Children were separated from their parents before they left for the camps, and would most likely never see their family again. They were tightly packed into railroad cars, were given no food or water, and endured cold bitter nights (“Deportation”). “Later we were …show more content…
Liberation day was a big day in the life of the concentration camp prisoners. This was the day they regained their freedoms that had vanished years before. “Against all odds I am standing here before you.” (“Teaching”) This quote came from a man named Steven Barry, a holocaust survivor from Hungary. In this one sentence, Liberation day was time for the people kept captive to get help but it was also a time where the liberators eyes were opened to the horrific events that took place while the camps were up and in full operation; the mental picture of corpses that lie in piles was engraved in the minds of the liberators (“Liberation”). Even though this new found freedom was a good thing it was also just the beginning of the rest of their lives and the hardships that were yet to come. The 415 Jewish children that survived Auschwitz were sent into a new world; yet they had mental, physical, and family travesties ahead to overcome (“Liberation”). These children had tremendous obstacles in their future, but also had new adventures and freedoms that they had never before been allowed to partake