Book Report: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Define

Every work of fiction or drama needs characters. Whether they are people or animals, robots or
creatures from outer space, their thoughts, feelings, actions, and reactions drive the plot.
Characters move the action forward, so they are inseparable from the plot. Authors construct
characters through description, dialogue, and situations that reveal their personalities and traits,
such as whether they are honest or devious, humorous or clever.

The main character in a story or play—the one the story revolves around and who usually has a
problem to solve—is called the protagonist. The character whose goals work against the
protagonist is called the antagonist. Minor characters provide support for the protagonist and
antagonist, helping to reveal aspects of their personalities. Think of the plot as the engine, and the
main character as the person behind the steering wheel.

Identification and Application:

●To analyze and understand the characters in a work of literature:

○Identify the protagonist, the antagonist, and the minor characters.

○Consider how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story reveal aspects of a character
or provoke a character’s decisions.

○Focus on how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

○Notice how elements of a story interact -- i.e., how setting shapes the characters, how the
author uses characters to support a theme, or how the point of view reveals information about
characters’ thoughts and feelings.

Model

Every author attempts to create interesting and sometimes unforgettable characters in his or her work of fiction. This excerpt from chapter 15 of The Boy in
the Striped Pajamas: A Fable features three characters: Bruno, a young German boy; Shmuel, a young Jewish boy; and Lieutenant Kotler, a lieutenant in
Nazi Germany’s armed forces. Readers first meet Bruno and Shmuel:

Bruno went into the kitchen and got the biggest surprise of his life. There, sitting at the table, a long way from the other side of the fence, was
Shmuel. Bruno could barely believe his eyes.

“Shmuel!” he said. “What are you doing here?”

Shmuel looked up and his terrified face broke into a broad smile when he saw his friend standing there. “Bruno!” he said.

“What are you doing here?” repeated Bruno, for although he still didn’t quite understand what took place on the other side of the fence, there was
something about the people from there that made him think they shouldn’t be here in his house.

Readers can identify Bruno as the protagonist, because the story revolves around him. The author reveals what Bruno is thinking: “there was something
about the people from there that made him think they shouldn’t be here in his house.” This is a clue that he has a problem to solve.

Readers can also identify Shmuel, who, although considered a minor character, still has an important role in the story. Shmuel’s relationship with Bruno
propels Bruno to action. The description of Shmuel’s “terrified face” indicates that he is in some kind of unfortunate, possibly unsafe, situation.

Next readers are introduced, through dialogue between Bruno and Shmuel, to Lieutenant Kotler, an antagonist. In a way, he is a symbol of the real
antagonist, which is the Nazi party, although information about the Nazis and their system of concentration camps is not included in this excerpt.

“He brought me,” said Shmuel.

“He?” asked Bruno. “You don’t mean Lieutenant Kotler ?”

“Yes. He said there was a job for me to do here.”

Model

Bruno takes his life and its privileges for granted, as he is not aware of the terrible conditions in which Shmuel and the other Jews live. He is also
kind, and wants to be polite and share what he has with his friend. The dialogue that author John Boyne creates for the two boys reveals the
conflict Shmuel faces: his fear of Lieutenant Kotler vs. his desire for food and also his desire to please his friend.

“He’s not going to mind,” said Bruno, who was confused by how anxious Shmuel seemed. “It’s only food.”

“I can’t,” said Shmuel, shaking his head and looking as if he was going to cry. “He’ll come back, I know he will,” he continued, his sentences
running quickly together. “I should have eaten them when you offered them, now it’s too late, if I take them he’ll come in and—”

“Shmuel! Here!” said Bruno, stepping forward and putting the slices in his friend’s hand. “Just eat them. There’s lots left for our tea—you
don’t have to worry about that.”

By examining the characters’ actions and the dialogue in this story, readers develop a clear picture of the relationships that exist among them,
and how their actions and conversation propel the plot and reveal aspects of their characters.

Your Turn
Read this section from chapter 15 of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: A Fable to analyze the characters and answer the follow-up questions.

Bruno smiled back and he was about to offer him some more food, but just at that moment Lieutenant Kotler reappeared in the kitchen and stopped when he saw the
two boys talking. Bruno stared at him, feeling the atmosphere grow heavy, sensing Shmuel’s shoulders sinking down as he reached for another glass and began
polishing. Ignoring Bruno, Lieutenant Kotler marched over to Shmuel and glared at him.

“What are you doing?” he shouted. “Didn’t I tell you to polish these glasses?”

Shmuel nodded his head quickly and started to tremble a little as he picked up another napkin and dipped it in the water.

“Who told you that you were allowed to talk in this house?” continued Kotler. “Do you dare to disobey me?”

“No, sir,” said Shmuel quietly. “I’m sorry, sir.”

He looked up at Lieutenant Kotler, who frowned, leaning forward slightly and tilting his head as he examined the boy’s face. “Have you been eating?” he asked him in
a quiet voice, as if he could scarcely believe it himself.

Shmuel shook his head. . . .

Shmuel opened his mouth and closed it. He opened it again and tried to find words, but there were none. He looked towards Bruno, his eyes pleading for help.

“Answer me!” shouted Lieutenant Kotler. “Did you steal something from that fridge?”

“No, sir. He gave it to me,” said Shmuel, tears welling up in his eyes as he threw a sideways glance at Bruno. “He’s my friend,” he added.

“Your…?” began Lieutenant Kotler, looking across at Bruno in confusion. He hesitated. “What do you mean he’s your friend?” he asked. “Do you know this boy,
Bruno?”

Bruno’s mouth dropped open and he tried to remember the way you used your mouth if you wanted to say the word “yes”. He’d never seen anyone look so terrified
as Shmuel did at that moment and he wanted to say the right thing to make things better, but then he realized that he couldn’t; because he was feeling just as
terrified himself.

Multiple Choice

Part A

Which statement best describes the boys’ friendship at the end of the excerpt?

• 1. Shmuel is afraid of Bruno, but still wants to be his friend.

• 2. Bruno realizes that there are limits to his ability to be a friend.

• 3. The boys are steadfast friends and support each other all of the time.

• 4. Bruno is polite, but he is not really friendly with Shmuel.

Multiple Choice

Part B

Which sentence or phrase from the passage supports your answer?

• 1. “. . . he wanted to say the right thing to make things better, but then he realized that he couldn’t; because he was feeling just as terrified himself.”

• 2. “Bruno smiled back and he was about to offer him some more food . . .”

• 3. “‘No, sir. He gave it to me,’ said Shmuel, tears welling up in his eyes as he threw a sideways glance at Bruno.”

• 4. “Shmuel nodded his head quickly and started to tremble a little as he picked up another napkin and dipped it in the water.”