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What is another important message in the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?
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An important message in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is the dehumanizing impact of racism, exemplified by the Holocaust's horrors. Through characters like Bruno's father, the novel illustrates how Nazis viewed Jews as less than human, facilitating their persecution. Additionally, the childlike misunderstanding of tragic events is significant. Bruno's innocent misinterpretations of terms like "The Fury" and "Out-With" highlight the incomprehensible nature of such atrocities to a child's mind.
One of the most important messages of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a message to readers about the horrors of the Holocaust. We definitely see how awfully the prisoners of Auschwitz were treated, and the book contains messages to readers about warfare and violence; however, the root cause of all of that is a hugely important message to readers. One of the main reasons Auschwitz exists is racism, and the book doesn't hesitate to help readers understand that racism was a huge part of this horrible time in history.
Already in chapter 4, readers see that Bruno knows something is different about the people on the other side of the fence.
Who are all those people? ... And what are they all doing there?
Bruno's own father will give an incredibly racist answer to Bruno's question in the following chapter.
Ah, those people ... Those people ... well,...
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they're not people at all, Bruno.
This is an important quote because it shows that men like Bruno's father didn't even necessarily consider the Jews a different race. Rather, men like Bruno's father did not even consider the Jews people. It's an incredibly dehumanizing attitude to have about people, and it could help readers to understand just how it was possible for the Nazis to kill so many Jews. If the Nazis didn't consider the Jews people, then they were not committing murder. Racism considers someone of a different race inferior. Bruno's father, and other Nazis like him, simply take that racism to an extreme degree.
John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas has many important messages or themes. In addition to the desire of friendship and the experience of discrimination, another important theme is the childlike misunderstanding of a tragedy.
This message is made clear immediately through Boyne's use of Bruno as his narrator. Bruno is a young boy and does not understand the meaning of things that are happening in his life. For example, Bruno misunderstands the nickname for Hitler, calling him "The Fury" instead of The Fuhrer. Bruno does not even know who Hitler is or his influence during World War II; he merely considers him a rude house guest.
Bruno also misunderstands the name of Auschwitz, a concentration camp during the Holocaust. Bruno believes this place is called "Out-With" and has no understanding of what takes place at the camp.
In addition to mispronouncing names of people and places, Bruno is unknowingly influenced by his father's job. Bruno often exclaims "Heil Hitler," despite not knowing what this greeting means. Bruno believes that this greeting is another way to say goodbye.
Bruno, who is unaware of the tragedy of the Holocaust, makes it easier for readers to imagine this event in a different, more innocent, way and think about its tragedy.