A Christmas Chapter 8 Analysis

To begin Chapter Eight, Bruno starts to describe his grandparents, and how dearly he misses them. He tells of how they live together in a small flat near the fruit and vegetable stalls. Being a young boy, Bruno thinks that his seventy-three year old grandfather is “as far as [he] was concerned, [ . . . ] about the oldest man in the world.” Bruningo discovers that if he multiplies his age eight times, he would still be a year younger than Grandfather. Grandfather owns a restaurant where his friend Martin’s father is the chef. Grandmother had met Grandfather after one of her concerts, and according to Bruno he somehow convinced her to marry him. Bruno and Gretel put on a small play with grandmother for Christmas and birthdays written by her.
He has been a prince, arab sheik, and a Roman gladiator. Both siblings are summoned a week before the performance to rehearse daily at her house. Although, the last play ends badly. Father is all dressed up in his new uniform, because he was recently made Comandant, a highly desirable position. Everyone is congratulating father while Grandmother remains unimpressed. Grandmother is ashamed of what father does and wonders where she went wrong for him to wear the uniform and not care what it stands for or represents. She goes on about how he is now, “[d]ressing up like a puppet on a string,” possibly from all the performance she did while he was growing up. Grandfather brings up how he talked to grandmother about this already, that this isn’t the time, and to not start a scene. He continues to father about how, “It makes me proud to see you elevated to such a responsible position. Helping your country reclaim her pride after all the great wrongs [ . . . ] done to her.” Grandmother soon makes it clear how she believes they’re both absolutely foolish for having such ridiculous thoughts. Bruno’s mother tries to calm down the situation by bringing up how handsome father looks but this only angers grandmother even