Sense of belonging

The concepts of belonging and not belonging have many conflicting aspects and the perceptions and ideas of belonging are shaped into different contexts.Belonging and not belonging is clearly evident upon examining both Bovell’s novel adaptation for the stage ‘The Secret River’ and John Boyle’s novel ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’. The text ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ reveals how belonging can enrich ones relationships and identity conveying concepts of belonging through the representation of place, sense of connection and acceptance. In comparison ‘The Secret River’ holds a similar sense of belonging through the exploration of two differing ideas of belonging to the land through the Indigenous and European settler’s views.
The text ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ relates to the concept ‘belonging’ as it portrays how acceptance and understanding may be reached through the enrichment of an individual’s identity. The character Bruno has been established by the author to enable the audience to understand and builds imagery of a 9-year-old boy whom through his innocence is confronted with different approaches towards belonging.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas related to belonging as the text not only speaks about a sense of belonging but it also illustrates a sense of not belonging. This is demonstrated throughout the whole novel as Bruno keeps on saying that he wants to go home. This can be comparable to the situation Sal has in the text ‘The Secret River’. In Chapter 5 Bruno’s father tells Bruno that his new home was where he belonged. ‘A home is where one's family is, isn’t that right? And our family is here, Bruno. ‘His father tells Bruno this as he doesn’t want Bruno to ask any more questions. Bruno’s stubbornness leads him to say 'But Grandfather and Grandmother are in Berlin, and they're our family too. So this can't be our home.' In this situation the author is trying to tell the audience that Bruno still has a connection to his grandparents. The