I think that the force of Karma hits Bruno's father.
If we define Karma as a person's actions playing a role in their end fate, it becomes clear that the ending of Boyne's novel provides karmic alignment to Bruno's father. Bruno's father was an active participant in Nazism. His support of Nazism causes a rift between he and his mother. It compels him to move his family to Auschwitz. Bruno's father sees participation in Nazism as critical to his career advancement. Bruno's father does not pause to consider the implications of his actions. He refuses to see how his work causes death and suffering to many. He does not acknowledge that what is happening is barbaric and cruel.
Such denial is where Karma becomes evident. When Bruno's mother and father search for him in “every part of the house and...all the local towns and villages,” it is a painfully Karmic...
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element. Bruno's father must experience the loss that millions of parents experienced during the Holocaust. When Bruno's father pieces together what happens, he realizes that his own role in the devastation of millions contributes to the death of his only son. He experiences what he did to many families. His actions play a clear role in his fate. The moment where he stands at the threshold of such revelation is where Karma hits Bruno's father in the most painful of ways.
In The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, does Bruno get along with his father at the end?
This question isn't as straightforward as it seems. It really depends on how a reader interprets "get along with his father." Personally, I feel that Bruno got along with his father more often than not. That doesn't mean their relationship was filled with deep, meaningful conversations, nor does it mean that I would categorize the relationship as overly loving; however, I also wouldn't classify the relationship as openly antagonistic or hostile. Bruno's father is a military man, and he expects orders to be followed and not questioned. He brings this mentality home to his family, and that's how he operates there with his children.
Do you think that I would have made such a success of my life if I hadn't learned when to argue and when to keep my mouth shut and follow orders? Well, Bruno? Do you?
What seems cold and harsh isn't meant to be mean. It's his way of being the head of the household. Bruno doesn't necessarily always fall in line, but he also isn't actively trying to defy his father at every moment. I would say that they get along more often than not. Bruno might not necessarily like or love his father, but they get along. Anecdotally, I don't like my boss, but we get along. Anecdotally, my father was army. Bruno's father didn't feel that foreign to me. It was very similar to my own relationship with my father, and I got along with him just fine—as long as I did what was expected.
Bruno and his father do not have an open, affectionate relationship. Instead, Bruno's relationship with his father is rather like that of a subordinate with his superior. Bruno's father treats his son as if he was one of his soldiers; he expects instant compliance from Bruno and conduct befitting the son of an important man. The two do not get along very well.
Although it is expected that a son respects his father, Bruno's father expects more. Throughout the novel, Bruno's father makes it clear that he wants his children to understand and support the Fuhrer's goals. Everything is subject to the Fuhrer's whims and plans. However, Bruno's father is disinclined to reveal the nature of these plans to Bruno. In fact, he takes great pains to hide Bruno from the savagery the Nazis are perpetrating against their Jewish prisoners.
Because Bruno's father expects unquestioning obedience and loyalty from Bruno, the pair do not have an especially amiable or affectionate relationship. Also, because of his cold, detached manner, Bruno's father is never admitted into Bruno's confidence. This state of affairs results in eventual tragedy.
Toward the end of the novel, Bruno is afraid to reveal how much he actually knows about the Jewish children's plight in the camps. Bruno's father eventually decides that Bruno will return to Berlin with his mother and Gretel. Bruno never makes it to Berlin, of course: he dies with Shmuel in the gas chambers.