Student Question
What does Father's conversation with Bruno reveal about him in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas? Why is Bruno willing to confront his father?
Quick answer:
Some words to describe Bruno's father are resolute, ambitious, loyal, career-driven, and strict. Although Bruno disagrees with his father's decision to move to Auschwitz, he shows his father respect and enjoys his company. Bruno loves his father and wishes that he could spend more time with him.
In chapter 5 in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Bruno is feeling confused about why he and his family had to leave the comforts of Berlin to move to the desolate and ominous location of "Out-With," which is actually Auschwitz. After watching his father speak with other military leaders downstairs, Bruno decides to try to get some answers for this seemingly unexplainable move.
When Bruno enters his father's office, which is typically off-limits, his father comes around the desk and shakes his hand; this symbolizes that he believes that Bruno is maturing and leaving the world of childhood behind. When Father asks whether Bruno is enjoying the new house, Bruno honestly responds that he is not and that he believes the family should go home.
Father entertains Bruno's complaints, reflecting that he also had to do things in life that he "didn't have a choice in." It is...
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now Bruno's turn to accept the reality that "Out-With" is their home for the foreseeable future.
After thinking for a while, Bruno suggests that perhaps Father is being "punished" by this new assignment and adds,
I don't think you can have been very good at your job if it means we all have to move away from a very nice home and our friends and come to a horrible place like this. I think you must have done something wrong and you should go and apologize to the Fury and maybe that will be an end to it.
Bruno immediately realizes that he has gone too far; he has never spoken to Father in such a way, and for a long while Father remains silent and "stony-faced." After all, Father is a respected military leader, and he is accustomed to being treated with tremendous respect.
Father finally suggests that perhaps Bruno is being "brave" instead of "merely disrespectful." This suggests that Father and Bruno have shared a close relationship in the past, and Father wants to recognize his son's potential—not just his shortcomings. Bruno trusts his father and feels safe enough to voice his deepest concerns, even if he feels that those views might create an "uncomfortable" tension between them. He also recalls that Father "rarely became angry," which characterizes Father as a complex man. He has built a close-knit and secure family within his own home, yet his military strength and persona must be quite severe in order to rise to such a trusted position under "the Fury," or Hitler.
Bruno is deeply troubled by all he has seen so far, and he is willing to risk some tension with his father in order to receive some answers; he also feels safe enough with his father to take such risks.
How does Bruno perceive his father in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?
In the story, Bruno's father, Ralf, is an accomplished German soldier, who has been promoted to commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp by Adolf Hitler himself. Despite his family's reluctance to leave Berlin, Ralf makes the difficult decision to move his family to Auschwitz, which is a depressing, isolated place. Ralf's decision to accept the esteemed position of commandant illustrates his ambitious nature and loyalty to the Nazi regime. Ralf is focused on his career and being promoted to commandant proves that he is a respected, capable leader.
Bruno's father is also a professional, resolute man, who is rather strict and does not tolerate disobedience. For example, he sets limits regarding the use of his office, which is considered "Out Of Bounds At All Times And No Exceptions." Although he is austere and career-driven, Ralf cares about his family's well-being and tries to appease them. Bruno recognizes that his father loves him and tries to stay on his good side. Bruno shows his father respect and enjoys his company. However, Bruno tends to feel neglected because his father is so busy and constantly giving orders to soldiers. Initially, Bruno does not agree with his father's decision to move their family from Berlin and even confronts him about it. Unfortunately, Bruno does not get his way, but he makes the best out of a bad situation when he befriends Shmuel.
How would you describe Bruno's father in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?
In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Bruno's father is a remote, austere, commanding figure. It becomes clear that he loves Bruno deeply, and he is ultimately destroyed by the knowledge of his son's tragic death, but he does not demonstrate his affection in everyday life. Bruno says that his father "couldn't be disturbed by silly things like saying hello to him all the time" since his military career always comes before his family. Even when he does say hello to Bruno, he greets him in a formal, distant manner, with a handshake rather than a hug.
Most people probably would not like to have this man as their father. Apart from the coldness of his behavior to his family, he is an orthodox Nazi who is able to act as commandant at Auschwitz without feeling pity for the prisoners. He even goes so far as to tell Bruno that the people he sees on the other side of the fence are "not people at all." It seems unlikely that anyone would want to hear their father express such an attitude, with which Bruno himself instinctively disagrees.