The Striped Pajamas

Improved Essays
Friendship is knowing about someone’s flaws, but still being their companion. Friendship is feeling safe when you are with someone. Friendship is an unbreakable bond, despite the boundaries. In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne, an unbreakable bond is seen between Bruno and Shmuel, two boys with totally different lives. Bruno is a nine-year-old explorer who was just moved to Auschwitz with his family because his father is the head commandant, whereas Shmuel is a boy living without a family in the camp as a prisoner, all alone. The boys are only separated by a fence. On Bruno’s side, there is food, a maid and servants, friendliness, and a loving family. On Shmuel's side, there is little food and no love. Although, despite the differences …show more content…
Bruno’s family does not know he has been doing this, which turns out to be harmful. On one journey, Bruno decides to go on Shmuel's side of the fence and get striped pajamas from Shmuel. Shmuel talks about his missing father, which makes them go out to look for them. After over an hour searching and, sadly, not finding him, it starts to rain. The Nazis bring all of the people in the striped pajamas, including Bruno and Shmuel, to a marching line. This line ends up leading to a gas chamber, where everyone is brought into. As Bruno learns that this is not somewhere to just warm up from the cold weather, and it is a terrible place to be, he holds Shmuel's hand and says, “‘You’re my best friend Shmuel… You’re my best friend for life’” (Boyne 213). These were the last words that were shared between Bruno and Shmuel. They were being murdered during this time, but they still gave that kindness and love to each other. The two boys died for each other, which shows true friendship. Altogether, they never broke that bond that they had from the beginning, even when they were dying.

Overall, Bruno and Shmuel ultimately showed everyone who read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas how to become best friends even though there was a major boundary between them. They boys cared for each other. They accepted their differences. They became friends and built an unbreakable bond, despite the boundaries. As someone

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    One day, Bruno notices a wall that separates his family from the people on the other side. He gets curious and befriends the boy Shmuel that lives on the other side.…

    • 1360 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Also Shmuel is able to leave very often and sit with Bruno but he would not be able to someone would notice that he was…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the movie ‘’The Boy in the Striped Pajamas’’ Jews were punished. This little boy named Bruno and his family had to move close to the camp where the Jews were, because his dad was a soldier. One day Bruno was looking out of his window and told his mom that he saw a farm with people there. He told his mom that he wanted to play with the kids at the farm.…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the beginning, Shmuel and Bruno were nothing but strangers but after a few meetings a relationship blossomed. When they first met they…

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When Bruno asks his mother about it, she perpetuates this lie that the camp is a farm. Despite his mother’s warnings, he sneaks outside one day to play near the camp. It’s there that he meets another eight year old boy called Shmuel. Bruno remarks “It’s not fair.…

    • 1092 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    And then, as Bruno got even closer, he saw that the thing was neither a dot nor a peck nor a blob nor a figure, but a person. In fact it was a boy.” This passage is significant to the plot because the boy, Shmuel, and Bruno became very close friends, but the only thing separating them is an electric fence. Bruno’s father is a very respected Commandment in charge of the Auschwitz concentration camp.…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Concentration Camps

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The heart breaking novel, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne, tells a story about two eight-year-old boys, a Nazi, named Bruno, and a Jew, named Shmuel, becoming friends. During this time, a lot of people hated the Jewish religion and they were forced to live in concentration camps. This novel took place during World War Two. Bruno’s family had to move because his father was a high-ranked Nazi. His family used to live in a huge house, five stories, and Bruno had three best friends there.…

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas is a fictional story of two unlikely friends between a German boy and Jewish prisoner where Boyne creates a story that leaves an unknown outcome. Boyne represents how little Bruno knows about Shmuel’s situation through the use of friendship and innocents he sets the tone for the readers. Boyne represents this in one of Bruno and Shmuel’s first conversations, “It’s so unfair. I don’t see why I must be stuck here on the other side of the fence where there is no one to talk too and no one to play with…

    • 1598 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bruno And Shmuel Analysis

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When Bruno finds out he is moving away again, he breaks the news to Shmuel. They form a plan, which consist of Bruno sneaking into the concentration camp and they talk about getting the clothes. On the finally day that Bruno is at his house, he goes back to the camp and meets Shmuel. Then, Bruno digs a hole to crawl under the fence and when he finally gets past the fence Shmuel gives him the clothes. Soon after this the two boys walk around until, Shmuel wants Brunos help to look for his father.…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shmuel was once full in life and spirit but now is just getting by. John Boyne captivates these two children from different sides of the fence into a beautiful friendship. Their lifestyles, their ethnic groups, and their personalities are different but that does not stop Bruno and Shmuel. The two friends go against all odds and become best friends with one another. No fence could tear this friendship apart.…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What caused John Boyne to write this particular book? Tip: If you don’t remember the class discussion, you can look online. (10 pts.) John Boyne had a passion for reading and writing books at a young age.…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    For Shmuel he develops his personal and cultural identity by also watching his…

    • 1796 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Boy In The Striped Pajamas

    • 1090 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The view from Bruno’s window is at first full of flowers and plants; it is a typical garden view, but after a little distance, everything changes. A large, high wire fence stands on the ground. Beyond the fence there is no grass or greenery, low huts, about two smoke stacks, and people dressed in striped pajamas. After seeing these strange people through the window, Bruno talks to his father and brings up his questions about them. Bruno’s father replies, saying that they are not people and Bruno should not worry about the people too much.…

    • 1090 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Bruno for much of the plot keeps his innocence and is unaware what is happening. He does know that he is forbidden from having interactions with a Jewish person. He says to Shmuel, “We’re are not supposed to be friends, you and me. We’re meant to be enemies.” During the Holocaust the Jewish people and anyone who did not meet a certain criteria were systematically put to death.…

    • 1678 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas Is Bruno from The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas brave or is he a coward? Bruno faces many dangerous situations where he is unaware of, but does that make Bruno brave, or just a clueless coward? Bruno shows extreme amounts of bravery throughout the novel him and his sister Gretel are never allowed to talk back to his father or even go into his office. Bruno moves house to Auschwitz for his father’s new job and when he does this he’s leaving everything he has ever known behind all of his friends and family Bruno knew berlin like the back of his hand he lived in a very rich lifestyle with is mum dad and his sister. When Bruno’s father said that their moving Bruno stood up and told his dad ‘NO I don’t want to move”.…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays