John Boyne’s most renowned novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, tells the intricate story of two boys who meet in concentration camps during the Second World War. The novel explores many themes, including innocence, fear, regret and prejudices. The most intriguing, but subtlest, theme in this novel is silence.
This literary work is interconnected by silence, stillness, secrets, and other elements. His family is unaware that his father, the “Commandment” in the German army, performs the majority of his duties. The family decides to move to Poland without informing the children about the reasons behind their decision. The father’s work is the most ignored topic in the family. There is a general silence. Children are taught early on to respect their father’s decisions and not to question them. As the story progresses, Bruno forms a close friendship to a refugee named Shmuel. Shmuel, which is Hebrew for Samuel, means strong. This is an interesting fact, especially when you consider Shmuel’s involvement in the story and his part in the friendship between these two boys. Bruno cannot tell anyone about their new friendship due to differences. Bruno slips into Freudian language during a conversation with his sister. He then begins to say, “I have new friends,” “Another friend that I see every single day. He’ll be right there for me. But you cannot tell anyone.’?”Why not?’ Bruno tried to sound embarrassed …” (155). Bruno lies about Shmuel’s relationship, unfortunately. Lieutenant Kotler catches the pair as they talk. Shmuel freely admits that they are best friends. Bruno denies ever having spoken with Shmuel. His decision to conceal their friendship is not a good one. Bruno said that his stomach was churning and thought he was going into serious trouble. He hadn’t felt so ashamed in all his life. He never thought he could be so cruel. He was curious about how a boy, who believed he was good, could behave so cruelly towards a friend. The two boys are not able to fully understand their situation, but they know there is something stronger than the fence that keeps them apart. Hyde raised an interesting point about this scene: “This incident shows how silence imposed by Lieutenant Kotler’s intimidating, threatening presence could act so that Bruno’s senses of agency and spirituality are stifled, leading to a feeling of disconnect with his friend Shmuel” (98).
This novel does not portray silence and stillness as something that is negative. Bruno disguises his self in “striped pyjamas” to help Shmuel find the father he is looking for. Bruno showed great courage when the soldiers took the Jews out to march. Shmuel replied, “You’re the best friend of mine, Shmuel!” “My best friend in life'” (212-213) The boys remained in the chamber without knowing what was coming, but they clung to one another: “…despite everything, Bruno discovered that he still had Shmuel in his hand and that nothing could have made him let go of it” (213). Hyde was very curious about this scene. He said that they chose silence because of all the different ways they could react to the chaos and terror. They held hands and affirmed their connection, despite their differences in racial backgrounds )…” (98). This scene is a reminder that silence has a special power and cannot be ignored.
John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas focuses on the innocence and power of silence in positive and negative aspects. Boyne does a great job of describing Bruno’s relationships with his family as well as his friendship with Shmuel. Both boys are young and wise, and they can see beyond what separates them. They also have the ability to create a bond that cannot be broken. These two boys are an excellent example of friendship and perseverance in the face of obstacles.
Hyde, Brendan and Karen-Marie Yust. Keeping quiet, having autonomy, and having a spiritual connection.
International Journal Of Children’s Spirituality 15.2 (2010):97-99. Academic Search Premier is an academic search engine. Web. 8 Feb. 2013.
