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Mele’s Musings: A hunting I will go

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U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta: In Syrian refugee crisis, U.S. national security must come first

<p>Writing about the Holocaust is probably one of the most delicate subjects an author can tackle, particularly in the fiction genre. An author has to strike a balance between being factual and treating the subject with the respect and gravitas it deserves.</p><p>&#8220;The Diary of Anne Frank,&#8221; the classic book taught in schools, is based on diary entries, not pure fiction. Lois Lowry&#8217;s &#8220;Number the Stars&#8221; or Markus Zusak&#8217;s &#8220;The Book Thief&#8221; are excellent, moving portraits of the Holocaust for younger readers, but in neither case is the novel narrated by a German.</p><p>&#8220;The Boy in the Striped Pajamas&#8221; is told from the perspective of Bruno, the 9-year-old son of a German commandant. He lives in Berlin with his family until 1942, when his father is given a new job and they relocate.</p><p>Bruno knows his father is a rising star as a soldier, but does not truly understand what that means or what the world is like. He is incredibly sheltered and naive and thinks his family is making a big mistake by moving. However, it&#8217;s what the &#8220;Fury&#8221; ordered. The reader is never specifically told that his father was promoted by the Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, but anyone could easily figure that out by hearing the term &#8220;Fury&#8221; and reading a scene where Hitler makes an appearance.</p><p>Bruno&#8217;s mispronunciation of words is carried over to their new home, a place he refers to as &#8220;Out With.&#8221; Again, easy enough to figure out he is referring to Auschwitz. There, he is unhappy. He was removed from his childhood home and separated from his grandparents and friends.</p><p>He is very isolated at Out With. There is no school or children nearby. He and his older sister have a tutor, but besides that, the only people in and out of his home are the soldiers who come to see his father. Bruno knows he doesn&#8217;t like his new house.</p><p>From his bedroom window, he can see a long, high fence and behind it, people wearing &#8220;striped pajamas.&#8221; One day, he goes off exploring, despite being forbidden to go into the garden or near the fence. He sees a boy on the other side of the fence.</p><p>The boy, Shmuel, wears the striped pajamas and looks tired, skinny and dirty. But the boys start talking and learn they share a birthday, which instantly bonds them. Much like Bruno, Shmuel doesn&#8217;t know what is going on. He knows he is Jewish and was removed from his home in Poland because of that, but doesn&#8217;t understand why or what is happening at the camp.</p><p>Over a year&#8217;s time, the boys meet regularly at the fence and sit and talk. Bruno brings food when he remembers to and frequently wishes they could actually play with each other, rather than just sitting on either side of the fence, talking.</p><p>During this time, things are changing at home. Bruno starts to see things that make him uncomfortable: a young lieutenant&#8217;s treatment of a Jew who serves as the family&#8217;s waiter; whispers of what is actually happening in the camp and tension between his parents. He starts to realize the world isn&#8217;t what he thought. And yet, he still lacks a full understanding as to what is happening.</p><p>Eventually, Bruno&#8217;s father realizes that Out With is no place to raise children and plans are made for Bruno and his sister to return to Berlin. The day before he leaves, he goes to see Shmuel one last time. Their final day of friendship and its horrifying consequences change Bruno&#8217;s family forever.</p><p>When &#8220;The Boy in the Striped Pajamas&#8221; came out, it received criticism. Some said there would never have been a 9-year-old at Auschwitz and that the book makes it seem like the camps weren&#8217;t that bad (the camp itself is only briefly explored at the end so it hardly seems like a valid claim). Another critic said the plot may not be realistic but that Bruno&#8217;s naivety represents Germans who refused to see what was going on during WWII.</p><p>Author John Boyne characterizes his book as allegory or fable. To me, it was a masterfully written tale. It perfectly captured the innocence of a child, even in the face of the Holocaust. While a quick read, the revelations that Bruno experiences unfold slowly, taking younger readers along with him. Older readers may see the ending coming.</p><p>This is a haunting book. I read it in two days, and after I finished, I woke up in the middle of the night because I simply could not stop thinking about it. Parents, previewing the novel in its entirety is probably a good idea before handing it to a child. However, it is certainly appropriate for younger readers (the book is marketed for 12 and up) and will give them insight and empathy in one of the darkest periods of our history.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dorothy Sasso</p><p>On the Books</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>&#8220;The Boy in the Striped Pajamas&#8221;</p><p>Author: John Boyne</p><p>Page Count: 215</p><p>Publisher: David Fickling Books</p><p>Rating:&#9830;&#9830;&#9830;&#9830; 1/2</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Dorothy Sasso is a former Soap Opera Digest writer and a private school teacher. She is busy reading books and raising her daughter.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” explores our dark history of the Holocaust through the eyes of a child