Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
“The point of using an unreliable narrator is indeed to reveal an interesting gap between appearance and reality, and to show how human beings distort or conceal the latter." David Lodge, in the 1993 collection of short stories "The Art of Fiction: Illustrated From Classic and Modern Texts". The use of 3rd person limited subjective naïve narrator amplifies the themes of this ironic novel; innocence and ignorance, war and prejudice . Many literary techniques are used in this book highlight the themes.
Third person limited subjective naïve narrator is one of many narrative voices. Third person point of view is where a third party narrates the book, e.g. Pride and Prejudice. Limited, or iIntimate voice is where the story is told from a single point of view. In the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, this point of view is that of Bruno's. Subjective means opinionated, judged or assumed. This is describing the way the narrator speaks, as opposed to being objective, which is factual and measured. Naïve means showing a lack of experience or wisdom, in other words ignorance. The innocence and obliviousness and ignorance of childhood are a major theme explored in this novel. This is amplified by the subjective limited naïve narrator, as it is told from the point of view of a child growing up in a war-ridden world. The malapropisms and mistakes Bruno make makes the situation even more ironic and gives an insight in how innocence and ignorance change the world completely. The irony of the situation, a child whose father runs a German Death camp in world war two, creates emphasis on the ignorance of a child. The naïve narrator tells us that he is at "Out-With" (Boyne, J. 2006: 16) and the "Fury" (Boyne, J. 2006:6) came to dinner the other night. It shows a different, unaffected perspective. Bruno doesn't have a side in the war as he is young, innocent and ignorant. War is highlighted as a major theme in the novel through the setting, timeframe and the 3rd person limited
Third person limited subjective naïve narrator is one of many narrative voices. Third person point of view is where a third party narrates the book, e.g. Pride and Prejudice. Limited, or iIntimate voice is where the story is told from a single point of view. In the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, this point of view is that of Bruno's. Subjective means opinionated, judged or assumed. This is describing the way the narrator speaks, as opposed to being objective, which is factual and measured. Naïve means showing a lack of experience or wisdom, in other words ignorance. The innocence and obliviousness and ignorance of childhood are a major theme explored in this novel. This is amplified by the subjective limited naïve narrator, as it is told from the point of view of a child growing up in a war-ridden world. The malapropisms and mistakes Bruno make makes the situation even more ironic and gives an insight in how innocence and ignorance change the world completely. The irony of the situation, a child whose father runs a German Death camp in world war two, creates emphasis on the ignorance of a child. The naïve narrator tells us that he is at "Out-With" (Boyne, J. 2006: 16) and the "Fury" (Boyne, J. 2006:6) came to dinner the other night. It shows a different, unaffected perspective. Bruno doesn't have a side in the war as he is young, innocent and ignorant. War is highlighted as a major theme in the novel through the setting, timeframe and the 3rd person limited