The boy in the striped pyjamas

The boy in the striped pyjamas written by John Boyne is a profoundly moving novel that explores innocence, friendship, and the quiet consequences of history's darkest moments.

Bruno was a 9-year-old boy who stayed in Berlin with his father, mother, his elder sister Gretel, accompanied by home maids Lars and Maria. One day, when he was returning home from school, he found Maria (his house maid) packing his things in a suitcase. He was shocked and asked his mother, “What’s happening here?” Where are we going?” His mother said that his father got a promotion, and they need to move to a new place for his job. Bruno was terribly sad about leaving Berlin. He worried that he would not be able to play with his friends Karl, Martin and Daniel. Also, he missed his home at Berlin. It was a big house with five floors and from the top floor, he could see the entire Berlin.

The new house was very far from Berlin, and it was located in a deserted place. Bruno worried that he will not be able to find friends to play with him. Also, it was a small three floor building and looked congested. He went to his new room and saw out of his window and got mouth opened.

He went to Gretel’s room to see how the view was from her side. Gretel was three years elder sister to Bruno. He hated her and called her as hopeless case, because she would always tease Bruno with her friends and calls him Stupid often. Gretel told him new place is called ‘out-with’. The view from her window was completely different. Bruno expressed he dislike the new place and wants to go back as he doubts the children outside would play with him. Gretel was shocked to hear this and rushed to Bruno’s room. From the window, they saw a tall fence to the height of their house. There was no greenery on the other side of the fence. There were hundreds of people and few soldiers commanding them. Initially, they thought of it as a country land, later they understood that it is not as there were no animals. One common thing among the people was, they all wore the same dress- A striped pyjama and a striped hat. When Bruno asked his father about this, he told they are not people at all.

So far, we have been seen how Bruno got shifted to new place and what he saw there. Let’s go back a little and see what led to their shift. Few months back, his father got a promotion as Commandant. One day, the fury and his companion Eva visited Bruno’s home. Bruno and Gretel were given guidelines on how they should behave when Fury is in their home. Bruno liked Eva as she was kind and sweet. But he hated Fury as he was very rude. The Fury had a discussion with the father for two hours, later which father told they need to move from Berlin as fury has big things for him. That’s how they landed here.

Bruno felt terribly alone at Out-width. He missed his friends and grandmother who used to design costumes and teach skit to Bruno and Gretel. Bruno remembered how he used to explore when he was in Berlin. So, he decided to explore Out-width. He came out of his room and secretly went to the backyard and started to move alongside the fence. After a long walk, he finally found a dot at a distance. When he approached closer, he found the dot turned to speck which turned to blob, which in turn turned to figure and finally became a boy. Bruno went closer and introduced himself. The boy’s name was Shmuel. He lived in Poland with his family. His father was a watchmaker. He and his family were forcefully taken to outwith by the soldiers. Though Bruno couldn’t actually understand what happened to Shmuel, he thought he had found someone with whom he can talk and play. For him, Shmuel  just stayed on the other side of the fence. He decided he would keep Shmuel’s meet as a secret and never tell anyone in his home.

Days passed. Bruno and Shmuel started to meet frequently, and their bond was getting stronger. One day, Bruno was surprised to see Shmuel in his house polishing glasses. Bruno asked him ‘what are you doing here? How you came this side?’. Shmuel told he was brought here by Lieutenant Kotler. Lieutenant Kotler was the most hated man by Bruno after his sister. He used to tease him with his sister and calls him little man. Shmuel was afraid of him due his rude behavior. Bruno gave some foods to Shmuel as he used to give him whenever he meets him. Shmuel was caught by Kotler when he was having food and accused him as a thief. When enquired, Bruno told he doesn’t know this boy and ran to his room. He felt extremely bad on how he left his friend and ran as a coward. Two days later, when Bruno met Shmuel, Shmuel’s face was full of scratches and had blood stains. Bruno thought he fell while riding a bicycle. Later, he gave his sincere apologize to Shmuel for his act in his home. The two boys shook hands for the first time and took their friendship to the next stage.

Months passed. Mother and Gretel were feeling alone at Out-with. Mother started to argue with father that this place is not fit for children to grow, and they immediately need to move out. Father also agreed to the argument. He called Bruno and Gretel and informed that Bruno, Gretel and Mother would be moving back to Berlin. Father would stay there as Fury has big things for him. Bruno was not happy with the decision as he would miss Shmuel. He decided to meet Shmuel and convey the information. He went to their usual meeting spot and found Shmuel sitting there with a dull face. Shmuel said that his father has been missing for two days. When Bruno conveyed his move to Berlin, his sadness doubled because he would feel alone once Bruno leaves him.

Bruno expressed that they were meeting for a long time but didn’t have a chance to play together at least once. At that moment, Shmuel did a strange thing. He lifted a fence from the bottom such that a small boy can enter. Bruno worried he would be caught if someone sees him. Shmuel thought for a moment and told he would bring a striped pyjama and a striped hat the next day so that Bruno can come inside. Bruno promised he would come next day and together they can search evidence for Shmuel’s father.

Bruno visited Shmuel as promised the next day. He changed the clothes, entered the fence and together they started to search for evidence. But, after a long search, they couldn’t find anything. When Bruno decided to go back home, he heard a loud sound of soldiers, and all the striped pyjamas people started marching. The boys got stuck in-between the crowd and they all were pushed into an airtight room. Bruno felt sorry to Shmuel that he couldn’t find his papa. Then, he did a strange thing out of his character. He took Shmuel’s hand in his hand and told “You are my best friend Shmuel”. “My best friend for life”. At that moment, the front was closed, and they heard a metallic bell rang from outside. The room went dark.

Several days later, Bruno’s clothes were found outside the fence by Commandant’s soldiers.

This story isn’t just about two boys. It’s about how innocent lives were affected by hatred, war, and blind obedience. Bruno and Shmuel were born in different worlds- one was German, the other Jewish, but they had the same heart. They proved that friendship sees no race, no religion, no border- only love.

One flower is a garden. One good friend is a world.

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