Mr. Porter
English IV
21 September 2015
Archetypes in The Boy in Striped Pyjamas
The novel, The Boy In Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne, not only involves the audience but also communicates ideas about issues that confront and challenge the reader. This is accomplished through themes such as misuse of power, discrimination, and man's inhumanity towards man, along with practical narrative techniques, character and setting. The Holocaust is a point in history that everyone at the time had different views. The novel not only draws the tragic effects of prejudice, but it offers a sarcastic look at the evil that humans are capable of. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a comprehensive archetype of the Holocaust. In this paper, I will …show more content…
Brunos father's new posting was in Poland as the commandant of a death campground. When Bruno got home, he saw their things being arranged and packed by the house helpers. He was puzzled about what was going on, his mother together and his sister, named Gretel, addressed him and told him about having good news. Bruno did not have any idea. Later in the day, Bruno discovered that the good news was concerning his father's promotion to a higher-ranking officer. Because of the development, Bruno and his family had to leave Berlin and move to the Poland where their new house was located. Bruno was very hesitant to leave Berlin because he will would his friends. Ultimately, Bruno and his family left Berlin and arrived in the countryside. Bruno was very lonely in the beginning. He could not see other children whom he could play …show more content…
Simplistic in vocabulary and nature, this book may leave the reader as if they have experienced a less-than-finished work. Characters are not precisely well developed, as characters farther from Bruno seem static and simple. Other characters feel like clichés: an unsuspecting curious boy, a resentful sister, a faraway father buried in his duties, and a mother who is tender at first and then due to some family dispute becomes an alcoholic. This simple exhibition may make readers that are more knowledgeable feel as they are being sold a text that is inferior in some aspects. Despite these minor flaws, some people would still say that this is a good novel. The novel can be an influential force to involve students in rich conversation on topics not only about the Holocaust but also on social boundaries that we humans construct without even considering many