set of striped pajamas behind a barbed wire fence

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by John Boyne

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Discussion Topic

Writing an essay from an empathetic perspective in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Summary:

Writing an empathetic essay on The Boy in the Striped Pajamas involves understanding the characters' emotions and perspectives. Focus on the innocence of Bruno and Shmuel, the friendship that defies the horrors of the Holocaust, and the tragic consequences of prejudice. Highlight how the narrative reveals the impact of historical atrocities on individuals and relationships.

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How can I write an essay from Bruno's empathetic view in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

An examination of Bruno's character will first identify his inclinations. While his sister Gretel is cruel, dominant, and oppressive, Bruno is sensitive to others' conditions and has a very sympathetic nature. Nevertheless, Gretel and Bruno are both naive in their perspectives, for they react to only the circumstances in the microcosm of their young and limited world. Thus, it through this narrowed perspective that the essay should be structured. Bruno understands nothing about the repercussions of World War I, or the economic state that made Germany ripe for the likes of Adolf Hitler. All that Bruno understands are narrowed interpersonal relations and the treatment of people as human beings, and this, then, should be the focus of the tone of the essay. 

One thesis that could be used for this essay could be something like this:

Bruno, sensitive and compassionate, is baffled by the unmitigated cruelty experienced by the unfortunates...

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confined inside the fence, so he reaches out to others.

Here are some incidents from the narrative of The Boy in the StripedPajamas that should be useful in the composition of the essay:

  • Unlike Gretel, Bruno is sensitive to Maria's situation in their home and treats her with kindness and listens to her, going deeper than her words. (Ch. 6)
  • When Bruno injures himself, the inmate working in the kitchen cleans and dresses his wound because Bruno's mother is out shopping. Bruno is, nevertheless, worried about his injury. "You're not a doctor," he accuses the waiter of their house. "Yes, I am," Pavel replies. This arouses Bruno's curiosity as he notices, too, that Pavel must have had a beard for some time before coming to Out-With. Bruno's curiosity is aroused and he feels some wonder that a doctor has been reduced to a waiter. (Ch.7)
  • When Bruno ventures near the fence and the people he has seen from a distance, he approaches a boy of about his age. The boy's skin is a grey color and he is thin with a "pair of sad eyes." Bruno's kind nature leads him to talk to the this sad boy,
"Bruno was sure that he had never seen a skinnier or sadder boy in his life, but he decided that he had better talk to him." (Ch.10)
  • Bruno befriends Schmuel, who later is brought to the house to help Pavel because his little fingers can clean small things. Bruno offers him some food, but denies this when Lt. Kotler catches Schmuel eating. Poor Schmuel is beaten, and Bruno feels terrible, apologizing later for letting his friend down.
  • At special dinner, Pavel is so nervous around the cruel Kotler and shakes so much when pouring the wine that he spills it on Kotler, and is punished for having done so. Bruno goes to bed still upset about this incident. (Ch.13)
  • When Schmuel tells Bruno that he does not know what has happened to his father, Bruno offers to help him look. (Ch.18)
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How can I write an essay on The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

While there are a number of sources which provide instructions on how to write essays, there is an excellent blueprint for essays that also works well for responses for essay questions on exams. This source is The Practical Writer. In this handbook there is a blueprint for the essay of five paragraphs:

Paragraph 1: Introduction

  • Motivator - This is the beginning of the introductory paragraph; it is often also referred to as a hook, something that will engage the curiosity of the reader, or motivate the reader to want to know more. This can be a pulled quotation from a text that you write about, or an observation, or even a question to pique the reader's interest.
  • Thesis Statement - This is a general statement of what the essay is about. 
  • Blueprint - This is composed of 3 main points that will develop the thesis statement. Each point will be put as a topic sentence for the body paragraphs.

Paragraphs 2,3,and 4 - These are the body paragraphs that will develop the points made in the Blueprint. Supporting details for the topic sentences are what is needed in these paragraphs; these are ideas and details pulled from the text. Transitions help connect ideas.

Paragraph 5 - This is the conclusion, which is simply a re-wording of the thesis statement  or sentence, followed by what is called a "clincher," a thought-provoking idea that expands upon the thesis of the writer of the essay.

With regard to The Boy With the Striped Pajamas, a thesis could be a statement of how much Bruno learns from Schmuel and gains from their friendship despite what becomes of them.

Source:  Bailey, Edward P., and Powell, eds. The Practical Writer with                                 Readings. New York: Harcourt Jovanovich College Publishers,                         2011

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