What does the father's office look like in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?
Just like his father's office in heir former home in Berlin, Bruno knows that his father's office in Out-With is "Out of Bounds, With No Exceptions." In fact, that is the title of Chapter 5, in which Bruno actually gets to see the interior of the forbidden room. In this chapter, Bruno desperately wants to speak with his father about his displeasure concerning the move to the new home, so he enters his father's office to speak with him.
The first thing that Bruno notices is that this room is different from the gloomy rooms that occupy the rest of the house. The office has a very high ceiling and a soft wall to wall carpet. The walls are entirely lined with tall mahogany bookshelves that are full of books. Across from the door are large windows overlooking the garden with a seat in front of them. The room is...
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dominated by his father's large oak desk which is placed in the center of the office. His father's chair is behind the desk. There are at least two large armchairs in front of the desk for visitors and petitioners. Bruno is very impressed by the magnificence of the room.
How does Bruno's father's office compare to the rest of their house in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?
Bruno's father's office is unlike the rest of the house (except for the large bathroom near his parents' room) because it isn't a place where the children are allowed; it's not meant for family life. Instead, it's a place that's purely for work. Because of this, it intrigues Bruno in a way the rest of the house doesn't.
The office faces the dining room and the door is usually closed. When Bruno first mentions the office, he capitalizes his description of it, saying it is "Out Of Bounds At All Times." This means that his father's rule to not enter the office was given and reinforced very seriously.
The rest of the house is a place for fun. Bruno thinks of sliding down the banister from the top floor. His parents's room is on the floor below the top floor, and he thinks that he isn't supposed to be in their bathroom. The next floor is his room, Gretel's room, and the smaller bathroom. His favorite thing about the house is the banister.
The office in their old house had the same restrictions as the office in the new house. He thinks the rule about not going into his father's office is one of the most important rules he's ever learned.
Bruno's father spends a lot of the time he isn't in the camp in his office.
Father's office is quite an intriguing place for Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. In addition to the numerous soldiers always going in and out of Father's office for meetings, the best description of Father's office would be “Out Of Bounds At All Times And No Exceptions.” This description, provided in all capital letters from the book, adds to its intrigue. Bruno is not allowed in Father's office on his own at any time. Father's office compares to the rest of the house in that most of the other rooms are free to explore for Bruno and his sister, Gretel. It is a rare moment when Bruno is actually called into this mystical room and, when that rare moment happens, Bruno is far more worried about what Father will say than what Father's office looks like. This description is a perfect example of Bruno's innocence. Bruno only knows what he sees: numerous women with typewriters, soldiers in uniforms, and many other "important" people who bustle in and out of Father's office. It shows Bruno that Father is a very important member of the Nazi regime.