Innocence, The Secret Weapon
Against the Wickedness.
Bishop Robert South once said, “Innocence is like a polished armor; it adorns and defends.” In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, author John Boyne shows the benefits of being
innocent. In this novel the narrator tells the story of how Bruno and his
family were living in the Holocaust period, and because of the job of Bruno’s
father they had to leave their house and move to the countryside. The author
also shows through the story how Bruno is naive about that they ended up living
near one concentration camp, which name is Auschwitz, and demonstrates that he
does not have a clue why a group of people called “Jews” were inside of the
fence that bounded the camp that they lived by. Later, and until the final page
of the book, the audience can read how the curiosity and innocence of Bruno
leads him to meet a Jewish boy named Shmuel, and become his best friend in
life. In Boyne’s novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Bruno’s innocence is
good when Bruno does not understand who Jewish people are, he does not have any
idea about the period that they are passing through, and he ignores what
happens to Shmuel in the concentration camp, which shows the reader that
innocence is important and necessary for life, especially in children because
this protect them even in harsh times.
To begin with, Bruno shows how naive he is about the Jewish people. When Bruno and his family were moving to the countryside, they were going to travel in one train that was very
comfortable, but Bruno notices about another train that was full of people and,
“For a moment he considered running across the platform to tell the people
about the empty seats” (Boyne 41). Here the author shows that really Bruno do
not figure out about Jewish and why they are not allowed to have the same
rights that he and his family have. He is unaware what could happens if one
Jewish person tries to enter the train that he is in. Lamentably, the reality
is that if one Jew tried to go out of the train, and more if they try to enter
in the train where Germans are, the most presumable thing is that in the same
instant one soldier take “care” of the situation and they end up being riddled.
But Bruno is just a child and does not think about it, for him everybody is
equal, and everyone deserves the same things that he have. For this, his
innocence is good, because it keeps him pure, and that is something that
children must do not loose. Bruno is innocent about the Jewish citizens and who
they are.
Second, Bruno is unaware about the time that they are living in. One day when Shmuel and Bruno were talking about the signs that were put in the armbands that jewish have and also
the sign that is in the armband of Bruno’s father, Bruno tells Shmuel, “All the
same... I think I’d quite like one. I don't know which one I’d prefer though,
your one or father’s” (Boyne 127). Here John Boyne reveals that Bruno is free
of stress about the war that is happening at that moment. Also he does not
figure out the immense distance that existed between two of the most big groups
of people that are living during this period, in one side there are the
Germans, who are the people that are doing horrible things to the Jewish, that
are the ones that are suffering thing as discrimination, abuse, and most of
they are being killed inside of concentration camps. But Bruno does not know
anything of all this information, as a child he just thinks that the signs in
the armband do not mean anything, he just wants the one that is more cool,
which is a typical behavior for a children, he is naive about the conflicts
that are occurring, and this is positive because as a kid of nine years old, he
does not need to be worrying about wars. The only thing that will happen if he
realizes all these horrible things is that he will be afraid all the time and
probably end being traumatized. Bruno does not have idea about the war that is
occuring at that moment.
Lastly, Bruno ignores what shmuel is having to go through. One day Bruno went to talk to Shmuel about that he is leaving Out-With, and returning to Berlin. Because of this,
Shmuel gets sad realizing that his best friend is moving, but when Bruno
notices it, he said to Shmuel, “You could come on a holiday to Berlin. You
can't stay here forever after all. Can you?” (Boyne 196). Here as the reader
can see, Bruno does not have any idea of the conditions in which Shmuel is
going through. Bruno thinks that just because he is free, and he can go
wherever he wants, Shmuel could do it. In all the time that they talk together
they create strong links, and even all the differences that existed between
they,they became best friends for life. The innocence that Bruno has makes him
find true friendship. Also Bruno releases from Shmuel the fear and stress that
he has for living inside of the concentration camp, and even that he does not
know, he is giving him hope. All the actions that Bruno is doing
demonstrates how pure he is and that he have a incredible degree of
humanity, all this because of his innocence. Bruno is naive about the situation
of Shmuel.
In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the innocence of Bruno is positive when Bruno is
unaware about the Jewish population, he does not figure out what period they
are passing through, and he is naive about how his friend Shmuel is living,
demonstrating to the audience that being innocent is good and needs to be
preserved in kids. The innocence that Bruno has is the major reason why he
meets Shmuel and he could creates a beautiful friendship. Also his innocence
help him to do not discovers the type of people that surround him, and the
cruel and horrible things that they do to other humans. More that his father is
one of the principal person responsible for the deaths of thousands of people,
which their only crime is be Jewish. If Bruno realize this, he will be afraid
and disappointed even of his own dad. This novel represents the importance of
innocence in a world of evil, because this keeps the mind pure, without
fear and helps to not have detriments. Boyne with his novel wants his readers
to know that innocence is the umbrella that protects humanity from the
sinfulness, and that it must not disappear.
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