The Boy in Striped Pyjamas Characterisation Essay Example

Bruno Nine year old Bruno is the protagonist of the novel .He is described as an extrovert, exuberant and adventurous character as he indicates his ambition of becoming an explorer. He lives in pampered luxury, having servants in his five-storey high dwelling in which he “was still able to find nooks and crannies that he hadn’t fully finished exploring yet.” He is also appears to be a docile child who comprehend rules as he knows he is not to interrupt Mother when she is speaking and Father’s office is “Out Of Bounds At All Times And No Exception”. Bruno looks up to his father and is determined to become a ambitious and courageous man, even though he doesn't really know what his dad has to do at work. Nevertheless he is proud when he sees his father in his pressed uniform. Although being the son of a Nazi commandant of the SS, Bruno knows nothing about the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious about the devastating cruelties inflicted on people in Europe by his country. His childish behaviors are portrayed as he mispronounced the word “Auschwitz” as “Out-With”, and “Fuhrer” as “Fury”. He does not comprehend why Pavel, a Jewish servant, is willing to abandon his occupation as a doctor to peel vegetables for his family, being ignorant to the fact that Jews could only serve as labours and endure unbelievable humiliation if they were not sent to the gas chambers.
Gretel
In the novel, Gretel is described as a spoilt, bumptious girl who considers herself superior to his younger brother, and takes pride in her age as well as her so-called “sophistication”. She is clearly a bully, constantly tormenting Bruno, earning the names “Hopeless Case” and "Trouble From Day One" by hogging the bathroom, accusing Bruno of abusing her doll collection, and encouraging her friends to also pick on her little brother.
However, the naivety and ignorance of Gretel also exposes as she initially mispronounced Auschwitz as “Out-With”, and misinterpreted the bleak and