The Boy In The Striped Pajamas Themes

Authors Harper Lee and Mark Herman have utilised the nature of innocence in children in order to expose cruelty and evil in the adult world through various techniques, ideas, and visions. Whilst the techniques of symbolism, irony, and narrative perspective are employed throughout both texts, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas also relies on music and sound effects. To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960 and has since become a classic of modern American literature. The novel’s plot and characters are loosely inspired by Harper Lee’s observations of her family and neighbours. An event that took place within her hometown’s community in 1936 when she was approximately ten years old also influenced her writing. The novel addresses serious and controversial …show more content…
Bruno pretending to be a plane and shooting is extremely ironic considering that he was so oblivious to how extensively his father’s men were exercising this. It is also ironic that Bruno cannot understand why Pavel would ‘choose’ to give up being a doctor just to peel vegetables: he is naive to the fact that Pavel is a prisoner at Auschwitz, who was forcibly removed from his life as a practicing doctor and is now forced to wait on Bruno 's family. Another example of irony is towards the end of the film where Bruno says to Schmuel "It 's so unfair...I don 't see why I have to be stuck over here on this side of the fence where there 's no one to talk to and no one to play with, and you get to have dozens of friends and are probably playing for hours every day." Bruno acts as if he is a prisoner, however he is free to do as he pleases whilst Schmuel is trapped on his side of the fence. The use of irony throughout the text assists Mark Herman greatly in exposing cruelty and evil in the adult world through accentuating the nature of innocence in children. In the midst of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s teacher, Miss Gates, asked her class to repeat “We are a democracy”. The demand is ironic because Scout had just witnessed Tom Robinson not only be convicted of a crime he did not commit, but then murdered for not believing in the appeal system. Miss Gates highlights the difference between America and Germany by …show more content…
Although the incident occurred when she was just a child, the story is recalled by and adult Scout. This first-person, adult Scout enables the novel to contain adult language and insights, yet the commentary still mostly comes from the innocent outlook of a child. In chapter fifteen, the reader grasps the true extent of Scout’s naivety as she, unknowingly, saves Atticus and Tom Robinson. She reflects back on the confrontation as she can only comprehend her acts and the results from hindsight. Scout and Jem follow their father, Atticus, into town and spy on him as four lynch mob cars approach. Tensions rise between Atticus and the mob, and Scout races out to defend her father. She recognises Mr. Cunningham, the father of one of her fellow classmates and asks him to tell his son “hey” while the rest of the men stare at her. Suddenly ashamed of himself, Mr. Cunningham assures Scout that he will tell his son “hey”, and then orders his companions to clear