What astonishing information does Pavel reveal about himself in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and how might his circumstances have changed?
After making a swing out of a tire and some rope, Bruno swings too high and falls out of the tire. Pavel scoops him up and carries him to the kitchen for some first aid. Naturally, Bruno wants his mother, but Pavel tells him that his mother hasn’t returned, so he will have to bandage the leg. Bruno is really concerned.
Pavel washes the cut and assures Bruno that
“It won’t even need stitches.” (pg 80)
After he bandages the leg, he tells Bruno to sit for a while and rest the leg. Bruno starts asking questions of Pavel. Bruno thinks he may still have to go to the doctor, but Pavel says that will not be necessary. Bruno says,
“How do you know? ... You’re not a doctor.” (pg 82)
That is when Pavel astonishes Bruno with the information that he is, indeed, a doctor. Bruno doesn’t understand why...
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a doctor would clean carrots and wait tables for the Commandant.
The reader never totally finds out any more about Pavel. He came from Poland and was a doctor in that country. We learn from Shmuel that when the Germans invaded that country, they arrested all the Polish Jews and brought them to the prison camp by train. It can be inferred that Pavel arrived the same way. When Bruno asks him when he arrived at “Out-With”, Pavel responds,
“I think I’ve always been here.” (pg 84)
Bruno misinterprets it to mean that he was born at Auschwitz. Pavel means that it feels like forever since he left his homeland. Later in the story, Bruno asks Maria if Pavel was a doctor. Maria tells him,
“Pavel is not a doctor any more.... But he was. In another life. Before he came here.” (pg 137)
After Bruno promises not to tell anyone, Maria shares the story of Pavel with him. Again, the reader is not privy to that conversation.
Then Bruno asks Shmuel if he knows of Pavel since they live in the same encampment. Shmuel tells Bruno,
“The soldiers don’t normally like people getting better. ...it usually works the other way round.” (pg 139)
That is the reason Pavel is not allowed to practice medicine in the encampment.
How has Pavel's character changed in "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"?
Pavel is one of the Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz who works inside Bruno's home peeling vegetables and waiting on the family during dinner. Pavel befriends Bruno in Chapter 7 after witnessing Bruno fall from his makeshift tire swing. While Pavel is bandaging Bruno's knee, Bruno mentions that Pavel is a rather thin old man with angular features. Bruno also notices that Pavel typically has a solemn look on his face which indicates his unhappiness. As the novel progresses, Pavel gradually becomes thinner, and Bruno mentions that he looks smaller each week. Bruno notices that the color in Pavel's cheeks is gone, and his eyes appear heavy with tears. While Pavel is serving dinner in Chapter 13, his hands begin to shake, and he is forced to put them against the wall to maintain his balance. Pavel is also less responsive and has to be called several times to refill glasses during dinner. Pavel is clearly suffering from malnutrition and showing its effects. His rapid weight loss and unhealthy appearance indicate that he hasn't eaten a substantial meal in a while. Unfortunately, Pavel spills wine on Lieutenant Kotler and is beaten badly. After the beating, Pavel is not mentioned for the remainder of the novel. One can infer that Pavel either died from the injuries inflicted during the beating, was taken to the gas chamber, or passed away due to malnutrition.