The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (Film)

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is the story of a 9 year old German boy named Bruno, who befriends Shmuel, a 9 year old Jewish boy, during the Holocaust. They meet when Bruno goes to explore the forest surrounding his new home and stumbles across the concentration camp that his father was managing. The lack of knowledge for both Bruno and Shmuel about the anti-Semitism and horrors of the camps bring the two close and they meet almost daily to play games and share food that Bruno brings. As the story progresses, the bond between the two grows stronger as Shmuel forgives Bruno for not standing up for him during a confrontation with Lieutenant Kotler. In an effort to redeem himself, Bruno decides to help Shmuel find his father, who never returned from a "march". The day Bruno and his sister are supposed to leave to a relative's house, he goes to the camp, digs under the fence, and dresses in a pair of striped pyjamas provided by Shmuel. At the same time, his mother realizes he is missing, alerts her husband, and their search leads them to the camp, where they see Bruno's discarded clothes and the hole under the fence. However, by the time they arrive, Bruno is in the gas chamber with Shmuel, unable to be saved.

The story reminds me of Romeo and Juliet. In the play, Romeo and Juliet are enemies, unbeknownst to each other, and fall in love. Even after finding out about their families' feud, their bond is still strong. Similarly, in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Bruno and Shmuel also grow very close, despite being enemies. Throughout the movie, Bruno is exposed to Nazi propaganda by his sister and his tutor, however, this does not change his view of Shmuel as a person. He does not conform to his family's anti-Semitic views. Furthermore, the characters die for each other, the only difference being that Bruno and Shmuel were unaware that a "shower" meant being gassed. 

Another similarity between these two would be the families realizing that their actions killed their children. "Where be these enemies- Capulet! Montague!/See what a scourge is laid upon your hate/That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love!/And I, for winking at your discords, too/Have lost a brace of kinsmen..." (V.iii.308-312). Essentially, the Prince's statement of the deaths leads to Capulet and Montague realizing that their rivalry caused the deaths of their children: "Poor sacrifices of our enmity" (V.iii.320). When Bruno's father realizes his son is killed in the gas chamber, the look on his face portrays guilt and horror. He realizes this his actions indirectly killed his son.



Before watching the movie, I was unaware of the extent of Nazi propaganda. It is quite interesting and shocking to see how these anti-Semitic views are imposed on children as young as Bruno, as well as, the fact that propaganda was used in various forms to reach these children- educational books and stories. It was also just as shocking to see how easily people believed it, a prime example being Bruno's sister. At the same time, this movie did an excellent job at portraying the confusion a child around Bruno's age would feel because they are constantly told that Jews are bad and they shouldn't exist, but they're not given a proper reason why. They are just expected to believe what they are told.

Personally, watching this movie had a huge impact on me in the sense that the Holocaust felt a lot more real. The movie didn't need mass killing to prove a point. The treatment of Jewish servants, brainwashing propaganda, and curiosity of young minds said enough. One of the biggest things that stuck out to me was the fact that despite being treated cruelly by Germans, the Jews were still genuinely kind. Shmuel was a great example of that- he forgave Bruno despite him not speaking the truth, which led to Shmuel being beat up.  Another example of this would be the servant, Pavel, who serves the family without saying a word and even helps Bruno when he falls off the swing and hurts himself. 

After by Francis Chalifour (Post #4)

The Darkness of My Mind is a spoken word poem written by me, which represents what it is like to have depression. A member of my family, whom I am very close to, has been suffering from depression for many years. I have seen this person at their best and at their worst. I am unable to help this person as much as I want to, so it has influenced me to pursue psychology and counselling. I want to be able to help others overcome this mental disorder.

This spoken word poem depicts how Francis' father felt before he committed suicide. I believe that people sometimes have to go through the disorder in order to truly understand its effect. Therefore, having this poem written from Papa's point of view gives those who have not experienced the disorder some insight on what the world is like.

The Darkness of My Mind

I see darkness

To my left and to my right

It surrounds me 

I cannot find the light

Told to snap out of it

But you don't understand

You sweep my problems under a rug

And force my body to take the drug

The drug that only clouds my mind

But how does that solve my problems?

You see, my problem is not like math

Solved with a calculator, maybe a graph

My problem is me because I can't control

These demons that threaten to take my life

But you can help by doing one thing

Not conforming to what society believes

Listen to me, understand what I'm going through

But when I get stubborn, please know I don't mean to 

The darkness is scary, the silence frightens me

Time and patience will only save me

But if I pull a knife or tie a noose

Its because I've given up and so have you.

After by Francis Chalifour (Post #3)

Grief is hard to overcome. It attacks in many different forms- physical, behavioural, social, etc. However, it is not the end of the world, even though it sometimes feels like it is. There are many ways to deal with it.

This is a visual that I created. It portrays the idea of dealing with grief through various methods in order to find the key that will unlock all the negative feelings inside, so that one can heal.

Inside the chains you see feelings of sadness, loneliness, and more. Francis’ feelings of a broken heart and fear of alienation for being known as “Son of Suicide Man” is also portrayed, as well as, two drama masks which show that Francis has two different faces- the sadness he feels inside and the happiness that he shows others. Surrounding the chains are the various methods of coping. Talking to someone, maybe even a professional, reading, writing, immersing yourself in music, etc., can help people find that key. Francis uses the talking method. When he visits the school psychologist, Mr. Bergeron, he opens up about his feelings of guilt, to which Mr. Bergeron helps him look at in a different light (Chalifour 67). From there, Francis goes to a support group, which he refers to as the “Lost a Parent Club”. He continues the healing process by talking to a girl named Julia and learning her story (75).  The “grief attacks” start occurring less frequently and by the end of the book, he is able to carry on in life without feeling restricted by the death.

As Anne Roiphe said, “Grief is in two parts. The first is loss. The second is the remaking of life.”