What can you infer about Bruno's father from Chapter 1 of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

In Chapter 1, Bruno comes home to find Maria packing his belongings into wooden crates. He politely asks Maria what she is doing because his mother told him to treat her respectfully and not "imitate the way Father spoke to her." The previous statement suggests that Bruno's father is rather disrespectful to Maria and talks down to her. Bruno's mother then explains to him that they will be moving because of his father's job. She mentions that her husband's job is very important which suggests that he holds a prestigious position or rank. Bruno also says that there were always many visitors in his home who wore fancy uniforms and were friendly to his father. Bruno's mother goes on to say, "Well, sometimes when someone is very important...the man who employs him asks him to go somewhere else because there's a very special job that needs doing there" (Boyne 4). One can infer that Bruno's father is a high-ranking officer who is both valued and talented.

When Bruno tells his mother that he doesn't want to go, she mentions that his father would miss him terribly. She also tells Bruno that his father loves him and Gretel equally which suggests that Bruno's father has compassion for his family. When Bruno asks his mother who is going to take care of their house, she sighs and looks around at the beautiful, five-floor home. Their massive home also suggests that Bruno's father is a very successful man who gets paid well.

As Bruno laments about leaving his friends, he overhears his father and mother arguing in his father's office which is "Out Of Bounds At All Times And No Exceptions." Bruno mentions that his father's voice rose until he could no longer hear his mother talk. One can infer that Bruno's father is also a strict disciplinarian who does not shy away from confrontation. The fact that he is choosing to move his family, against their wishes, indicates that he values his position and does not take into consideration his wife's feelings. As the novel progresses, it is revealed that Bruno's father is a Commandant in the Third Reich who is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

How is Bruno's father portrayed in chapter 5 of The Boy In The Striped Pajamas?

Bruno's father is a Nazi commandant. Under orders from the Fuhrer ('Fury' to Bruno's nine year old ears), the whole family must move to Auschwitz ('Out-With' to Bruno) as Bruno's father has been selected to oversee operations at the death-camps there.

Bruno's father is used to being obeyed, both by his family as well as by soldiers under his command. For example, Bruno is never to enter his father's office for any reason; it is 'Out Of Bounds At All Times And No Exceptions.'

Bruno describes his father as a meticulous man. His personal appearance is impeccable and his voice authoritative; his uniform is pressed to perfection and his hair lacquered carefully. Bruno's father looks every inch the commandant that he is. He doesn't have to raise his voice even when he is giving an order. An example of his quiet confidence is displayed when he dismisses his soldiers with a well-placed joke.

Your suggestions and your encouragement are very much appreciated...Here we have a fresh beginning, but let that beginning start tomorrow. For now, I'd better help my family settle in or there will be as much trouble for me in here, as there is for them out there, you understand?

Although the soldiers laugh and march out mechanically, voicing their usual 'Heil, Hitler' on the way, this jovial manner betrays an intimidating menace. After all, the 'trouble' for the people out there is that many of them will die in gas chambers without promise of hope or mercy. The soldiers know that Bruno's father is the ranking official overseeing this mass operation; he definitely is a man to be obeyed.

Being that he is a military commander, Bruno's father is also not given to expressions of affection. Bruno tells us that he receives handshakes from his father, rather than the customary hugs he is used to receiving from his mother and grandmother.

Even though the commandant is a man who possesses iron control, he is not without compassion for his young son. When Bruno daringly knocks on his father's door at their new home, he is beckoned in by his father's booming voice. Bruno doesn't really like this new home in Auschwitz; the surroundings are gloomy, the soldiers unfriendly, and there is no one his age to play with.

Bruno's father listens sympathetically and even allows his son to express his frustrations. However, he will only tolerate questioning of his motives up to a point. He reminds Bruno that he (Bruno) must trust in his father as he himself had to trust Bruno's grandfather when he was young.

...I have listened to what you have to say, even though your youth and inexperience force you to phrase things in an insolent manner. But the moment has come when you will simply have to accept...

When Bruno asks about the people living in huts in the distance, Bruno's father tells him that those people are not considered humans at all. Here, in words of chilling inhumanity, Bruno's father betrays his sadistic side. He reiterates that he expects Bruno to accept his situation without further question. Interestingly, it appears that this is the way he himself accepts orders from the Fuhrer.

To summarize, Chapter 5 reveals Bruno's father as a staunch idealogue (one who is excessively devoted to a cause) who expects the same obsessive adherence to Nazi ideals without question.

What do Bruno and his father discuss in chapter 5 of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

In chapter five of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, Bruno and his mother and sister have finally arrived at their new home (Bruno's father arrived earlier), and Bruno has seen a strange sight outside his window. He sees people who are all wearing the same thing (uniforms) inside a fenced-in area with a lot of huts. What he sees does not make sense to him, and that is probably quite accurate for a naive nine-year-old. We have the advantage of hindsight and now know about so many of the horrible things that happened in concentration camps; most people in the world would not have been aware that such a place existed--or if they heard something of it, would not have believed it. No one wants to tell Bruno the unvarnished truth about Auschwitz, so Bruno's not knowing is realistic.

After he does not get a satisfactory answer from his sister, Bruno decides he has to be brave and ask his father about the place next door. Their conversation does not begin well, as Bruno's father makes the mistake of asking Bruno how he likes his new home. Bruno does not like it at all and thinks perhaps his father must have done something very bad at work to get them sent here, but Bruno's father reminds him that children must do what their parents say because their parents know best. 

Finally Bruno gets around to asking about the people who live in the camp next door. Bruno's father answers:

"Those people...well, they're not people at all, Bruno,...at least not as we understand the term."

He goes on to tell his son that he has absolutely nothing in common with those people. He expects Bruno to adjust to his new home, and the more quickly he does that the better off all of them will be. 

Bruno is not satisfied with this conversation, but he he answers his father obediently and leaves the office. 

How does Bruno describe his father in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

Bruno is proud of his father, who has achieved the rank of Commandant in the Nazi army.  This pride comes out when talking with his friends.  In short, Bruno describes his father as an excellent soldier who has a grand uniform.  Although Bruno had many friends back home in Berlin, he only has one friend after he moves to Auschwitz:  Shmuel.  We are not told about how Bruno describes his dad with his other friends; therefore, the way that the reader knows how Bruno describes his dad should be based solely on his conversations with Shmuel.  

At one point, the two boys discuss what they want to be when they grow up. When Bruno says he wants to be a soldier, Shmuel tells Bruno that he would never want to be a soldier. Bruno gets offended when Shmuel tells Bruno that, despite the fact that Father is a soldier, "there aren't any good soldiers."  Bruno tries to convince Shmuel by talking about Father's "impressive uniform."  

Big things ... the Fury has ... in mind for [Father] because he’s such a good soldier.

Shmuel admits that Bruno does not "know what it’s like here.” Therefore, Bruno describes his father as a "good soldier" with an "impressive uniform."