Similarities Between The Fault In Our Stars And The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

Moynihan
4
Bookclubchoice final paper

Why is it that humans approach others will such compassion and understanding without even knowing them? As a social species, humans are inclined to be kind to others, without reason; this could be for personal gain or it could be the satisfaction of having a positive impact on others, either way, most people would agree that their first instinct is to be kind to someone before knowing them. In both, The Fault in Our Stars and The Boy in Striped Pajamas tap into cruel and unforgiving situations and the resilience people's kindness have through them. Compassion progresses all of the relationships in both books and without any sympathetic connection the books wouldn't have gone forward. The book's themes
Hazel deals with debilitating anxiety and depression due to the fact that she is dying and is often feeling alone or overwhelmed. "I almost felt like he was there in my room with me, but in a way it was better, like I was not in my room and he was not in his, but instead we were together in some invisible and tenuous third space." (Hazel 67) While Hazel's world in falling apart in many ways, she is able to find comfort and safety in the compassion and empathy Augustus and her share with each other. They are constantly bringing one another up and trying their best to understand each other's conflicts; even though it is not hard for them to relate and sympathize with each other's situations because they are going through very similar ones, they never complete for a better or worse situation and bring each other up in times of distress. Even though both go through difficult situations, they never belittle one-another and create safe-spaces for each other so they can express how they feel. The empathy they hold for each other allows for them to have a stable and understanding relationship which makes
It is the first person perspective of a child seeing the inequality and injustice Jewish people faced in the holocaust. "Bruno was sure that he had never seen a skinnier or sadder boy in his life but decided that he had better talk to him." (Bruno 84) Even though Bruno had the option to leave and not speak to the boy, he reached out and spoke to him anyway. Their whole friendship started with Bruno being compassionate towards him and helping someone in an awful situation. They both personally grew from empathizing with each other and learned about the world around them; Bruno was able to make a friend once again, for the first time, after he moved to Berlin. Even though they are living completely different lives, they are compassionate towards each other and maintain a great friendship. The human compassion and sympathy they share allow them to give each other company, no matter each other's situation. "You're my best friend, Shmuel […]. My best friend for life" (Bruno 153). Bruno's dad is a Nazi soldier, which makes Bruno's friendship with the boy Shmuel very unlikely. Even though Bruno has been raised under a hateful message, his human reaction to someone in need is always compassion, which allows their friendship to flourish despite his upbringing. Considering, Bruno does not understand the extent of the cruelty around him, he still is compassionate toward's his