The Boy In The Striped Pajamas Summary

In the novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne, the main characters, Bruno and Shmuel, have a very close relationship even though they are from two completely different worlds. The novel begins with Bruno, a nine year old, German boy, and his family are forced to move out of Berlin and into Auschwitz where Bruno is told by his parents that he is not allowed to go past certain boundary points. Bruno disobeys his parents and explores the new territory of Auschwitz. On this adventure, Bruno meets a boy named Shmuel who is behind an enclosed fence. Shmuel is a Jewish, nine year old boy and is an inmate in the death camp of Auschwitz. Bruno comes and visits Shmuel as much as he can and brings him food, but the friends are irritated because they cannot play and explore together on one side of the fence. Also, Shmuel is frightened because of the fact that he cannot find his father, so Bruno vows that he will help him try to find his father. To do so, Shmuel gets Bruno a pair of striped pajamas, or the uniform the inmates wore, so Bruno could blend in. In the end, when Bruno and Shmuel go to look for Shmuel’s father, the guards take them into the gas chamber where they die hand in hand.

“Despite the chaos that followed, Bruno found that he was still holding Shmuel's hand in his own and nothing in the world would have persuaded him to let go.”

“I don't understand why we're not allowed on the other side of the fence. What's so wrong with us that we can't go there and play?”