Violence In John Boyne's The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

The Impact of Violence on Children
A child’s personality can be massively molded by the actions of a parent, especially if the person sees them as role models. Unconsciously, that child may even pick up bad habits of those parents, mimicking their behaviour. Fear of retribution can cause bystanders to keep silent, protecting themselves instead of defending suffering people. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne shows unjustified bloodshed carried out by Bruno’s father that clearly impacts Bruno negatively, making him unwilling to admit his father’s wrongdoings in the novel. Bruno’s father allows three events which display evidences of cruel violence; commanding soldiers to enslave a small group of Jews, instilling corrupt ideologies …show more content…
This is the start of uneasiness felt by Bruno since moving to Out-With. Even though Bruno and Gretel try to see the positivity in the fence outside their window, they can feel something sinister and unsettling occurring in their new location. They talk about not being able to imagine not having a family or a bath, which suggests their sheltered childhood and youthful perspective on the situation. However, Gretel leaves to play with her dolls, obviously showing that she is not at all bothered by the scene they had witnessed, and that she would rather ignore it and turn a blind eye at the Jews. Furthermore, both children begin to think more about the people on the other side of the fence, becoming more aware of the situation. Bruno notices that whenever he speaks to his father and Gretel about the Jews, they both deduct the Jews something less than human; objects meant to be exterminated. “ ‘No, not them,’ said Bruno. ‘The people I see from my window. In the huts, in the distance. They’re all dressed the same.’ …show more content…
While Pavel is being murdered, Bruno’s father does nothing about it, despite the mental shock his children receives from witnessing the public execution.“What happened then was both unexpected and extremely unpleasant. Lieutenant Kotler grew very angry with Pavel and no one - not Bruno, not Gretel, not Mother, and not even Father - stepped in to stop him doing what he did next, even though none of them could watch. Even though it made Bruno cry and Grete grow pale.” (Boyne, 79). Even in their own house, no one was trying to stop Lieutenant Kotler from committing murder. Father, who is the commandant and owner of the house did nothing to avoid death in his house, even if it is something he has control over. This scene is important in showcasing their different personalities coming out to light. Bruno, usually bold and outspoken, is frightened and begins to cry, and Gretel, the sharp-tongued girl, turns pale at the sight. Mother and Father are adults, and are fully capable of stopping manslaughter in their own house. As a result of their ignorance, Bruno begins to think second thoughts about his father. He decides to once again ignore the horrible scene, in fear that someone might not like what he says; not wanting to cause chaos becomes his main reason to keep his mouth shut. “And while Bruno realized that Father was generally a