The first thing that comes to mind is Bruno’s social nature. Prior to the family’s departure from Berlin, Bruno’s biggest concern is not being able to spend time with his three friends, Karl, Daniel, and Martin, anymore. The fact that the four boys had extensive “plans” that involved “causing a lot of chaos” in the upcoming school holidays gives us an indication of the value that Bruno places in his friendships. Furthermore, it is only once he has befriended Shmuel across the fence that he begins to really settle into the family’s new home.

Secondly, I would argue that Bruno is fairly naïve. He has no idea what his father does for a living, or that “Out-With” is a death camp at which his new friend Shmuel is imprisoned due to his family’s faith. When he and his sister, Gretel, try to work out the circumstances of the family’s new neighbors—a large community of people all dressed in striped pajamas—neither of them has a clue as to what it all means. This naivete can also be seen in the following quote:

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. I’ll have to speak to Father about it.

In a nutshell, he has no idea of what a concentration camp is or of the hellish life that his friend and his fellow prisoners are living.

I would describe Bruno as a boy who matures significantly during the course of the novel. At one point, Bruno fails to stand up for Shmuel after he is caught eating food that Bruno has provided. Shmuel gets beaten because of Bruno’s lack of courage. Later, however, Bruno shows Shmuel the ultimate loyalty by helping in the search for Shmuel’s father, which ultimately leads him to the gas chamber.

The story begins with Bruno having to move with his family. They currently live in Berlin, but his father got a job promotion and they have to move. Bruno is very unhappy with this, because all of his friends live in Berlin. He thinks he will never have another friend again.

Bruno is a very clever and adventurous young boy. He longs for adventure and thinks that in his new home, he might find some adventure. He is a curious young boy and wants to roam about the new place. He is also very naive. He doesn't have a clue what his father does for a living. When he meets Schumel across the fence, he doesn't realize why the young boy is there. He thinks Schumel is the one getting to have fun.

"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 everyday. I'll have to speak to Father about it."

When Bruno makes this statement he has no idea what his new found friend's life is really like. Bruno is very unaware of what is really happening. 

Bruno also is a very good friend. He and Schumel develop a true friendship. When Bruno sneaks under the fence to help his friend look for his father, he thinks he is going on another adventure. He has no idea this will be his last adventure ever.

And then the room went very dark and somehow, despite all the chaos that followed, Bruno found that he was still holding Schumel's hand in his own and nothing in the world would have persuaded to let him go.

This line in the book is always heart wrenching. The two young boys think they are going on an adventure, but soon realize that this is the end. Bruno had never touched his friend before, but at the end, they were holding hands as equals. 

Bruno is a young boy who was forced to move with his family to a home that is located near a concentration camp. He is very lonely and misses his friends a great deal. Most people around him are filled with a hatred towards the Jews but he does not entirely understand this.

I would describe Bruno as being curious, bored, and lonely. He also also has a kind heart. He becomes a very close friend of Schmuel who is a boy of the same age but living inside the concentration camp. The following quote describes the caring nature that Bruno has towards others. Even in the face of fear, Bruno stayed close by his friend.

"...Despite the chaos that followed, Bruno found that he was still holding Shmuel's hand in his own and nothing in the world would have persuaded him to let go".

Using various adjectives, describe Bruno's character in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Inquisitive, curious, and so on.

Sheltered: the son of a privileged Nazi family living in a big house in Berlin and later in comfortable circumstances next to Auschwitz, nine-year-old Bruno has had little opportunity or reason to question that the world is not a good place. For a nine year old, he has a weak grasp on the concept of evil, even while living in the heart of Nazi Germany. When he moves with his family to Auschwitz, he doesn't suspect how harsh life is on the other side of the barbed wire: he simply lacks a context for imagining what is going on there.

Friendly: Bruno, who is not close with his sister, is lonely after he leaves his best friends behind in Berlin. An innate friendliness and desire for companionship leads him to reach out to Shmuel, the boy in the striped pajamas. When he sneaks into the camp with him, disguised as an inmate, he never lets go of Shmuel's hand, a symbol of the bond that Bruno feels for the boy he innocently calls his "twin"—and whose twin he becomes in his final hours.

Compassionate: Bruno might not fully understand what is happening on the other side of the barbed wire, but he is, nevertheless, good to Shmuel. He brings him food and notices he is nevertheless getting thinner. He wants to help Shmuel find his father. Bruno may be the son of Nazi commandant, but he is not a participant in the brutality or cruelty of that regime.

Using various adjectives, describe Bruno's character in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Inquisitive, curious, and so on.

Innocent: Bruno's innocence is conveyed through his references to "the Fury" and "Out-With." He believes Shmuel's uniform is a pair of striped pajamas and cannot fathom how Shmuel lives with so many people in one small room. Bruno does not know what his father does as a soldier, only that Ralf wears an impressive uniform. Bruno's lack of knowledge on the true purpose of Auschwitz is ultimately what gets him killed; he enters the camp and puts on a uniform given to him by Shmuel, and they are both sent into a gas chamber.

Sensitive: Bruno gets upset when people like Lt. Kotler call him "little man," as he is short for his age. Bruno is sensitive to Shmuel's criticism of soldiers, as Bruno highly respects his father's job. After Pavel is punished by Lt. Kotler for spilling wine at dinner, Bruno is still emotionally unsettled as he lies in bed that night.

Brave: Bruno considers himself to be an explorer, and a key element of this role is to have the courage to venture into new territory. He offers to help Shmuel look for his father on the other side of the fence, crossing into the dangerous confines of Auschwitz concentration camp, where he is killed in a gas chamber.

Sensitive: Bruno gets upset when people like Lt. Kotler call him "little man," in reference to the fact that he is short for his age. Bruno is sensitive to Shmuel's criticism of soldiers, as Bruno highly respects his father's job. After Pavel is punished by Lt. Kotler for spilling wine at dinner, Bruno is still emotionally unsettled as he lies in bed that night.

Using various adjectives, describe Bruno's character in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Inquisitive, curious, and so on.

Naive. Bruno never truly comes to realize what's really going on at the camp. He's too young and too innocent to know about the Holocaust and the part his own father plays in it. He doesn't understand why Shmuel can't play with him like any regular boy, and why he's always wearing what look like striped pajamas. The world is very much like a gigantic playground to Bruno and everything he experiences in his life next door to the camp is understood by him in such terms.

Curious. As with any child of his age, Bruno wants to find out more about the world around him. The problem is that he's reliant on being allowed to do this by the adults in his life, and, for obvious reasons, they're completely unwilling. So although Bruno remains curious throughout the story, that curiosity is constantly thwarted by his parents, who think they're protecting him from a terrible truth. Only once does Bruno manage to break free from his parents' suffocating grip and that leads directly to his tragic demise.

Empathetic. Bruno brings Shmuel food; he helps him to find his father; and he listens to Shmuel, something that no one else will do. What Bruno lacks in understanding he more than makes up for in empathy. Yet it is a combination of his lack of his understanding, his chronic naivety, with his capacity for empathy that ultimately leads to his death.

Using various adjectives, describe Bruno's character in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Inquisitive, curious, and so on.

Adventurous: Throughout the novel, Bruno mentions that he wants to become an explorer when he grows up. He recalls going on various expeditions and exploring places at his old home in Berlin. When he arrives at Out-With, he is curious and longs to go on adventures to explore his new environment. Bruno finally gets his chance to be an "explorer" when he is asked to help find Shmuel's father. Tragically, Bruno's final expedition leads him to a gas chamber where he loses his life.

Polite: Bruno is a polite child who has strong morals and a conscious. He never interrupts adults when they are speaking, and does not mention sensitive subjects around his new friend out of fear that he will offend him. Bruno treats Maria, Pavel, and Shmuel with respect, despite the fact that many adults display contempt for them. He shows sympathy for Shmuel and regrets denying their friendship in front of Lieutenant Kotler. When he sees Shmuel following their precarious situation in the kitchen, he is quick to apologize for his actions.

Lonely: Bruno is lonely when he first arrives at Out-With. He continually mentions that he misses his old friends, and longs to play with Shmuel. Bruno tells Shmuel that he wishes he lived on the other side of the fence because there are other children who live there. In Bruno's mind, Shmuel is lucky because he is surrounded by so many kids.

How does Bruno's character grow throughout the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

Bruno's character grows throughout the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas as he learns to distinguish people who are good from those who are not. For instance, when his sister is forming an attachment to Lieutenant Kotler, Bruno is unhappy. He recognizes that Lieutenant Kotler is not a nice person.

Bruno feels “a great urge to go back there and pull Gretel away” from Lieutenant Kotler. It is not that Bruno and Gretel have gotten closer than they were in Berlin. In fact, he thinks that "she [is] annoying and self-centered and mean to him most of the time." He recognizes, however, that this is normal for siblings at a certain age. He even thinks to himself, “That, after all, was her job. She was his sister.”

The reason that he does not want Gretel to get close to Lieutenant Kotler is that,

he hated the idea of leaving her alone with a man like Lieutenant Kotler. There really was no other way to dress it up: he was just plain nasty.

Another way that Bruno grows is that he learns to be more adaptable. When the book opens, Bruno is unhappy about leaving Berlin and his friends. He does not understand the need for the move and he protests to his mother. By the end of the book his parents decide that he and his sister will return to Berlin. Bruno does not really want to leave because of his friendship with Shmuel, but he decides not to protest. He “decided that whatever happened, he would accept the decision without complaint.”

He also comes to realize that home is relative. To him, it is where you have good friends. He tells Shmuel:

. . .The rest of us are going home.' He said the word 'home', despite the fact that he wasn't sure where 'home' was any more.

When his father asks how he feels about the move back to Berlin, he even replies:

Well, yes,' he replied, considering his answer carefully, "but I think I'd miss people no matter where I went.

Despite his youth, he is astute enough to realize that he can form important new friendships anywhere, as he has with Shmuel. He also realizes that things probably have changed in Berlin:

There was one part of him that remembered that he had loved his own life back there, but so many things would have changed by now. Karl and the other two best friends whose names he couldn't remember would probably have forgotten about him by now.

The day before the planned departure, Bruno also agrees to help Shmuel find his father because he had promised that he would, and "he wasn't the sort to go back on a promise."

How does Bruno's character grow throughout the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

In the beginning of the story, when Bruno has to leave his home and friends in Germany because of his father's promotion, he has a negative, self-centered outlook on the situation because he has no desire to leave the familiar environment of his home in Berlin and his friends there. However, once he and his family move out to the countryside, Bruno's natural curiosity leads him to explore his new surroundings, even though his father forbids it, and this exploration allows him to grow as a character because he comes face to face with a very different world than the comfortable one he has enjoyed all his life.

One day, during an exploration, Bruno comes across a camp that he has seen from his house. It is surrounded by a barbed wire fence, and he sees, to his surprise, people wearing stripped pajamas inside it. Intrigued, Bruno visits often and soon becomes friends with a little boy named Shmuel on the other side of the fence. This meeting is a turning point in the growth of Bruno's character because he becomes more focused on the needs of his new friend than on his own, and his unhappiness at being far from Berlin fades to the back of his mind. For example, when he realizes that Shmuel is hungry, he sneaks food to him through the fence. Bruno's character growth is most strikingly illustrated at the end of the book when he finds a way to dig under the fence to help Shmuel find his father, a selfless decision that contrasts strikingly with his self-centeredness at the beginning of the novel.

How does Bruno's character grow throughout the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

Though Bruno never quite overcomes his naivety and innocence, he does nonetheless experience quite profound change throughout the course of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. What changes more than anything else is Bruno's capacity for empathy, which ultimately leads to his tragic demise. For it is this capacity which allows Bruno to develop an unlikely friendship with Shmuel, eventually leading him to cross over to the other side of the fence.

Bruno may be a young boy, and a very naive young boy at that, but he does have a sense—however vague—of something bigger in this world, something that transcends the artificial barriers people put between themselves and each other. In developing his friendship with Shmuel, Bruno is unwittingly getting in touch with his humanity, something that his standard Nazi upbringing was meant to suppress.

How does Bruno's character grow throughout the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

At the beginning of the novel, Bruno absolutely hates his new home and misses his friends back in Germany. He does his best to obey his father but is very depressed at his current situation. As the novel progresses, Bruno begins to explore his environment, against his father's commands, and interacts with the people living in his home at "Out-With." Bruno has several significant interactions with Pavel and Maria, which develop his perspective and empathy towards individuals. Although Bruno remains naive about their situation, he shares a connection with Pavel and Maria, which allows him to sympathize with them.

Bruno also meets a little boy named Shmuel, who lives on the other side of the fence and develops a close friendship with him. As their friendship grows, so does Bruno's compassion and awareness. Bruno becomes less selfish and begins to bring Shmuel food during their visits. He also notices Shmuel's declining health. At home, Bruno forms negative opinions of Lieutenant Kotler and notices his mother's misery.

Despite his ominous surroundings, Bruno begins to enjoy his life at "Out-With." He relishes his friendship with Shmuel, stops missing his old home in Germany, and even begins to get along with his sister. When Shmuel asks Bruno to help him look for his father, Bruno gladly volunteers. Bruno's willingness to help his friend demonstrates his growth and moral development. Bruno no longer exclusively considers his own feelings but recognizes the importance of helping out a friend. Bruno risks getting into a lot of trouble climbing under the fence but does so anyway to help Shmuel. Bruno's stable friendship, caring attitude, and awareness depict his growth throughout the novel.

What is your impression of Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

My impression of Bruno improves drastically over the course of this harrowing novel, and the ways in which he grows up are admirable.

At the beginning, he comes across as a whiny boy who doesn't want to move with his family. Although it can be excused because he is young, the extent to which Bruno is oblivious to his surroundings seems strange for a nine-year-old. Until his new friend, Shmuel, tells him that they are actually in Poland, Bruno doesn't realize that he is no longer in Germany.

My opinion of Bruno dropped even further when he got Shmuel into trouble to protect himself. When Shmuel is brought to the house as a servant to help with preparations for Bruno's father's birthday party, Bruno gives Shmuel some chicken to eat. When he is caught, Shmuel told Kotler that Bruno is his friend and gave him the chicken. Bruno, fearing that he would get into trouble, tells Kotler that he has no idea who Shmuel is.

However, everything turns around in this story, and Bruno proves himself to be a hero when he breaks into Auschwitz to help Shmuel look for his father, who has gone missing. Having abandoned Shmuel once, he does not abandon him again, holding his hand all the way into the gas chamber and to certain death.

What is your impression of Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

Unlike his family and the Nazi soldiers, Bruno does not discriminate against people because of their ethnicity, race, or religion. For example, Bruno recognizes Shmuel and Pavel as kind, compassionate individuals and does not view them as inferior beings. Bruno's innocence highlights his humanity, and he is the only person in his family who sympathizes with the Jewish prisoners. In the story, Bruno's curiosity influences him to travel alongside the fence surrounding Auschwitz, where he befriends a Jewish prisoner named Shmuel.

Bruno and Shmuel develop a close friendship, and Bruno demonstrates his selfless personality by bringing him food whenever he gets the chance. Although Bruno understands the risks of secretly meeting with Shmuel, he is not willing to end his friendship and displays his loyalty and courage by crawling underneath the fence to help Shmuel find his father. Bruno's willingness to sacrifice his well-being and enter the hostile concentration camp to help his friend reflects his selfless personality and courage. Overall, readers are left with a positive impression of Bruno and view him as an innocent, courageous boy.

What is your impression of Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

Bruno is a heroic figure in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

The way Bruno views people leaves an impression.  Bruno treats people as ends in of themselves, and not as a means to an end.  In this regard, Bruno is authentic. While he might make mistakes, such as thinking that Pavel could not be a doctor or letting Shmuel take abuse from Kotler, Bruno makes amends.  He does not mistreat people deliberately.  This makes him different from others in the novel.  Bruno's father looks at Auschwitz as enhancing his career, while Gretel sees the embrace of Nazism as a vehicle for popularity.  Bruno's mother fails to speak out when she knows better, while Kotler is the prototypical Nazi when it comes to abusing people. Bruno is heroic in the honorable way he treats people, something rare in the Holocaust time period.

Bruno is heroic in how he stands by his word to Shmuel. Once again, it was rare for people to be this decent during the Holocaust.  When Bruno promises Shmuel that they will go on an "adventure," he sees to it that they do. Eve though Bruno is scared about what he finds on the other side of the fence, he does not back away from his promise of being there for his friend.  Finally, as he and Shmuel walk into the gas chamber, into terrifying reality, he affirms their friendship.  Bruno's heroism can be seen in his loyalty towards Shmuel.

Finally, I would say that Bruno is heroic because he is an example of how people should behave even in the worst of situations.  During the Holocaust, there was so much cruelty that not taking action or being apathetic could be seen as a virtue.  Given how badly people behaved, not doing anything was better than perpetrating evil. However, Bruno is a reminder that in the worst of times, human beings must act in the best of their nature. Relativism does not apply to human decency.  Bruno embodies the very best during the very worst, and this impression makes him heroic.

How is Bruno from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas a round and dynamic character?

Round characters are usually the major ones in a story who are fully developed and explained in direct and indirect ways. For instance, in John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Bruno is a round character because his personality is explained by the way he behaves, the things he says, and the choices he makes throughout the book. Round characters also face conflicts that challenge what they believe by placing them in moral dilemmas. Bruno is a dynamic character as well because he learns about his own weaknesses and does his best to change himself for the better. For example, Bruno discovers that he can be a disloyal friend when he lies to Captain Kotler about knowing his Jewish friend Shmuel in chapter 15. Bruno's feelings are described after he denies knowing his friend in the following passage:

"His stomach churned inside him and he thought for a moment that he was going to be sick. He had never felt so ashamed in his life; he had never imagined that he could behave so cruelly. He wondered how a boy who thought he was a good person really could act in such a cowardly way towards a friend" (174).

This is the first time that Bruno faces an intense moral conflict and must decide if he will tell the truth to save a friend or save himself. As shown above, he does not feel good about the choice that he makes to save himself from trouble at Shmuel's expense. As a result, he does not pass up a chance to help Shmuel the next time he needs it. When Shmuel asks Bruno to help him find his father in chapter 18, Bruno wonders about getting caught behind the fence, but eventually says the following:

"Of course . . . It would be a great adventure. Our final adventure. I could do some exploring at last . . . We'll take a walk around and see whether we can find any evidence. That's always wise when you're exploring" (198-199).

Bruno proves his loyalty to his friend by putting on a pair of striped pajamas and going over to Shmuel's side of the fence. He knows that he might get in trouble, but he does it anyway because he has learned that he does not want to be a coward or a disloyal friend again. Therefore, Bruno shows that he is a round character because he faces a moral dilemma that challenges his character, and he is a dynamic one because he makes a change for the better and does not make the same mistake twice. 

How is Bruno's innocence portrayed in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

Bruno doesn't understand the people on the other side of the fence.  He has been kept ignorant since he is a small child of nine.  When he first meets Shmuel he thinks it is unfair that he doesn't have anyone to play with and talk to but Shmuel gets "to have dozens of freinds and are probably playing for hours every day." (pg 111).  Shmuel tells him that he is from Poland, and Bruno decides that Poland is in Denmark "because that's many miles away." (pg 112).   Shmuel tells Bruno how he was forced out of his home and brought to the camp.  Bruno equates it with moving from Berlin to Auswitz. He cannot imagine that more than one person would live in a room.  When Shmeul had a black eye, Bruno assumes there are bullies on the other side of the fence. (pg 150).  It says that Bruno got "increasingly fedup that he had to wear trousers and shirts and ties and shoes that were too tight for him when Shmuel and his friends got to wear striped pajamas all day long" (pg 152) Bruno has a discussion with Gretel about why they are not allowed on the other side of the fence.  Gretel tells him it is because they (the people on the other side of the fence) have to be kept with their own kind --- Jews.  Bruno doesn't know what Jews are and asks if they are Jews. (pg 182) Finally, Bruno does not understand the striped pajamas and thinks if he wears them, then they will not notice him in the camp.  Unfortunately, that is so true.  On page 207 it explains that Bruno thought that all the huts were full of happy people and that the children would be playing tennis or football.  He had thought there would be shops like in Berlin.  He was shocked with what he saw inthe camp. He went over on the other side to help Shmuel find his father because he never knew what was happening to the people there.  He had no fear because he was innocent and unaware.

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, how is Bruno's father presented and what is his personality like?

In many ways Bruno's father is the perfect Nazi. He is a strict authority figure who obeys orders and expects to be obeyed without question by his family, servants, and those beneath him. He believes fully in the Nazi notion of race and hierarchy. He buys into the ideology that some are meant to be the master race and some are beneath contempt. He tells Bruno he is nothing like the Jews, refusing to acknowledge that they are as fully human as he or his family. He tells Bruno:

You have nothing whatsoever in common with them.

Although Bruno's father wants to get ahead, is pleased with being sent to Auschwitz as Commandant, and is delighted to entertain Hitler, he also has at least some remnants of a moral compass. This emerges in the way he tries to keep his family life separate from the concentration camp next door and to shield Bruno from it. Nevertheless, his work does put a strain on his family and his marriage, especially as it horrifies his wife when she finds out what is really going on in the camp.

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, how is Bruno's father presented and what is his personality like?

Bruno's father is depicted as a proud Nazi, who is determined to climb the ranks in the German Army. He makes significant sacrifices, like moving his family from Berlin to Auschwitz because of his job. Bruno describes his father as a strict man who has many rules. If Bruno breaks these rules, he must endure a "serious talking to." Bruno's father treats the maids and housekeepers with contempt. The other soldiers at Auschwitz look up to Bruno's father and are continually trying to find favor with him. He is rather controversial throughout the novel and is always fighting with his wife and arguing with his mother. Although he is proud of his position as Commandant and all of his military accomplishments, he is scared to say "no" to Hitler, which is why he moves his family to Auschwitz. He is stressed out most of the time and even finds out his wife has been cheating on him. He struggles with his personal life and loses his mind after Bruno disappears. Bruno's father is a tragic character throughout the novel The Boy in The Striped Pajamas.

How does the author develop the character of Bruno in The Boy in The Striped Pajamas?

Characterization—telling the audience about a character's personality—can be built in a few specific ways: through the narrator's words, through the character's words, through the character's actions, and through other characters' words. John Boyne's book is told through third person limited narrative voice. An outside, unknown narrator tells the story, but the story is limited to Bruno's perception.

Although we learn about Bruno through his own actions and thoughts, the narrator does give us details as well. For example, when faced with their last moments, Bruno reaches down and holds Shmuel's hand, cementing their friendship. However, it is the narrator who steps in and tells us what a dynamic shift this is for Bruno: “He looked down and did something quite out of character for him: he took hold of Shmuel's tiny hand in his and squeezed it tightly."

By giving us the outside narrator, Boyne is able to better show the maturity that happens with Bruno. He is able to absorb his new experiences and grown from them, doing things "out of character"—something which we all need to remember to occasionally do.

How does the author develop the character of Bruno in The Boy in The Striped Pajamas?

In The Boy in The Striped Pajamas, Bruno is the narrator and the plot unwinds from Bruno's perception although the reader can understand the implications of those things beyond Bruno's scope.

John Boyne develops Bruno's character through Bruno's experiences, relationships and the way in which he faces and deals with matters beyond his understanding, as if they are just new opportunities, to be taken at face value. He does not understand how important his father must be as one of "The Fury's" top commanders. As a very accepting child, Bruno, although inquisitive and ready with questions, is a very obedient child who never reads further into a situation beyond what he is told. 

The author reveals Bruno as an innocent, respectful child, oblivious to class differences or the purported reasons for them. Even outside the safety of his home in Berlin, Bruno's character develops as an average, self-absorbed nine-year old's character would, ensuring that his character is believable and realistic. His attempts to appear to grasp adult concepts add an irony that adds to the deep loss the reader feels by the end of this book:

"We can chalk it up to experience,' he added, a phrase he had learned recently and was determined to use as often as possible."

Most nine year olds do not question the authority of others but do see the world from a very selfish perspective: "I think Father should think twice about his job, don't you?" he asks Maria, aware only of the unfairness towards himself.

Bruno does not wonder why some have jobs as maids and butlers and others as high-ranking army officers; why some children's fathers' are greengrocers and others are soldiers. He knows "all the jobs that ... decent, respectable fathers" do and it is enough for him. 

In stark contrast to his own character development, the reader is introduced to Schmuel who has a completely different perception which does not detract from Bruno's in any way. Boyne allows the boys' similarities to bring them together as friends and not their differences. Just as Bruno envisions life as he has seen it through the window in Berlin, then from his new home, so Schmuel's outlook contrasts sharply as he  "didn't like to look out of it (the window) because then I would see the wall and I hated the wall."It is beyond Bruno's comprehension that his father, or anyone, could purposefully harm and destroy the lives of others for no reason so he cannot process the possibility.

Even at the end, as Bruno and his "friend for life" face the gas chamber together, after Bruno has realised that there are not families picnicking inside the fence and it is strikingly different than he imagined and even though he wants to go home, his character remains pure and he has no comprehension of his imminent fate.   

What are the key facts about Bruno from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

The innocent and unsuspecting son of a Nazi officer, nine-year-old Bruno is a German boy who finds himself unexpectedly uprooted from a civilized and comfortable life in an upper-class section of Berlin where he has friends and grandparents. 

After arriving at Auschwitz, Bruno is surprised by the isolation of the place and the inferiority of their new house when compared to the one in Berlin. He finds it "the loneliest place in the world," and he cannot find anything “to laugh at and nothing to be happy about.” There are no other children with whom he can play; there is no park, no interesting buildings and no museums to visit. He does not like the young lieutenant who comes to his father's office.

After several weeks at what Bruno calls "Out-With," Bruno makes an effort to amuse himself since he has no friends. When he notices a tree with a sturdy lower branch, Bruno goes outside after locating rope in the basement. He approaches Lieutenant Kotler, who talks with Bruno's sister, Gretel, and asks the young officer if there are any tires that he can use for a swing. Kotler harshly calls Pavel, an older man who prepares the evening meals for the family. Later, Bruno falls out of his swing and injures himself. Pavel comes to Burno's rescue by carrying the boy inside where he administers to the gash in his leg. Afterwards, Pavel explains to a worried Bruno that he used to be a physician, and he knows how to care for wounds. When Bruno's mother returns, the boy tells his mother what happened. As he heads to his room, Bruno wonders why his mother instructs Pavel that she will tell the Commandant that it was she who tended to the wound on Bruno.

One day, Bruno decides to explore the large, desolate area that is fenced and tries to discover what it is that makes the people in striped "pajamas" different from the other men who seem to herd them around the area. When he reaches the fence, Bruno walks along the perimeter, but he sees no one and no place where he can enter. Finally, he encounters a small boy with "an enormous pair of sad eyes” who sits on the ground. Bruno talks with this boy named Shmuel, who is also nine and has the same birthday as Bruno. As they talk, Bruno naively asks Shmuel why so many people are inside the fence and what they are doing.

One evening Bruno discovers Shmuel in his kitchen. Shmuel tells Bruno that he was brought in to clean inside the glasses because he has small fingers. It is then that Bruno notices that Shmuel’s fingers look like “dying twigs” and he finally begins to think that whatever goes on at Out-With is “a very bad idea.” When he pulls out some pieces of chicken from the refrigerator, Bruno notices the intense watchfulness of Shmuel, so he offers the thin boy the meat. Unfortunately, Shmuel is observed eating the chicken by Kotler. When he is interrogated, Shmuel tells the lieutenant that Bruno gave it to him, but, out of fear of Kotler, Bruno denies that he has done so.

Ashamed of his behavior, Bruno apologizes to Shmuel at the fence when he next sees the frail boy. Shmuel tells him it is "all right," but he has bruises all over his face. Bruno feels terrible. It is not long before Bruno learns that he, along with his mother and Gretel, is to return to Berlin. When he next talks with Shmuel, Bruno learns that Shmuel cannot locate his father. Wishing to be together, Bruno and Shmuel come up with a plan. Shmuel finds an extra pair of striped "pajamas," and Bruno climbs into them. He crawls under the fence, and they search for Shmuel's missing father. Bruno begins to feel a strange presentiment that something is wrong—and he wants to go back—but suddenly there is a whistle sound. The boys are then pushed into the center of a mob, and they are all moved into a stifling room. Bruno takes Shmuel's hand, telling him that he is Shmuel's "best friend for life." They die together in a gas chamber.

What character traits would describe Bruno from the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

Bruno is a curious nine-year-old German boy who has recently moved to Auschwitz. He continually mentions that he enjoys investigating his surroundings and wishes to be an explorer when he grows up. Bruno asks his family members, Maria, and his new friend, Shmuel, many questions regarding his environment and certain situations. His adventurous personality is portrayed when he decides to walk along the fence at Auschwitz and volunteers to help Shmuel find his father. Bruno is also a considerate individual who shows compassion towards Shmuel by bringing him food and helping him out. Bruno is a respectful child who treats everyone equally throughout the novel. He could also be considered a risk-taker because he defies his parents' directives to stay away from the fence in order to continually meet with his new friend. Since Bruno is only nine-years-old, he is rather naive. Bruno does not understand the dynamics and complexities of his environment. This is evident by Bruno's continual mispronunciation of the name Auschwitz, and inability to understand the enormity of his family's situation.

How would you describe Bruno's character in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

I think that one of the strongest ways to describe Bruno's character is that he is transcendent.  Bruno is a non- conformist, unable to embrace how a world around him is in love and enamored with Nazism and Nazi ideals.  Bruno's character is one that seeks to transform what is into what can be.  This is evident in different points, such as finding out more about Maria or understanding Pavel in a different light.  His friendship with Shmuel is the best example of how Bruno wishes to transform what is into what can be.  He is not one to be content with how reality is constructed, and is always seek to broaden his own horizons of how reality can be.  When told not to go to the end of the fence, Bruno does.  Bruno's characterization is described constantly in the book through terms that shows him to be one who wishes to expand his own imagination and his sense of understanding about the world with his place in it.  He is shown to be a character who transcends the condition of what is and moves into what can be.  With his sacrifice at the end of the novel and one that dawns on all of his family as to what he did, this becomes confirmed as a permanent part of his characterization.

Describe Bruno's character from the first six chapters of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

Bruno is above all else shown to be a young boy greatly perplexed by the world around him and what he sees. When he moves from his home in Berlin to the curiously named "Out-With," it is clear that Bruno is very unhappy at first, because he misses his friends and his school. In addition, he finds it incredibly strange that the children and men he can see from the bedroom window in his house are all wearing the same pajamas and also seem to be treated very differently. Bruno's overwhelming characteristic therefore is innocence, as he is not aware of the complex situation of which he is a part. This innocence, which of course is made ironic by the reader's understanding of what is happening, is highlighted perfectly in the following quote, where he bids farewell to his father as instructed when he leaves his father's study in Chapter 5:

"Heil Hitler," he said, which, he presumed, was another way of saying "Well, goodbye for now, have a pleasant afternoon."

Bruno has no knowledge of what the true meaning is of his actions and words, just as he can't understand or make sense of the world around him. He is a child plunged into a world of complexity where he is left to draw his own conclusions based on his scant life experience. This is of course what makes the novel so successful, as the reader is forced to see something that they have heard a lot about through the eyes of a child who knows nothing about it at all. We understand the Holocaust in new and much more vivid way, which only adds to the horror of its depiction.