The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas: Personal Response to the Film and Novel

‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ is a 2006 novel by Irish novelist John Boyne; this is his fourth novel, and the first he has written for children. My classmates and I have read the book and watched the trailer of its newly releasing movie. And I have to say, this novel is really remarkable. The novel truly engages the reader completely into the book and it’s difficult to put down. â€Å"Believe me†!!.......the trailer is all the more brilliant, with a high standard quality and exceptionally mind capturing images. ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ is told through the eyes of an eight year old boy shielded from the reality of World War II. Bruno is growing up in Berlin, but moves to Auschwitz during World War II, sets out to explore the place around him. The novel also involves the horrific part of history; the holocaust. Bruno is irritated and shocked when he’s told they’re moving from Berlin but being a very naive boy doesn’t understand why their family has to leave. The story follows on as Bruno sets out from his house in Auschwitz to explore and finds a boy the same age as him sitting on the ground, on the other side of a fence. His name is Shmuel, a Jewish boy held captive in a concentration camp, but Bruno believes the camp is just a farm. Their friendship cements but is separated by a barbed wire. Bruno’s father is a Nazi commandant, but Bruno never seems to understand what his father’s job is. For Bruno he’s just a loving father, but the truth isn’t hidden for long, as we soon realize Bruno’s father is the most merciless and cruel man there could ever be. A lot of consideration was put into this novels appropriateness for children; it was thought parents might have to explain the Holocaust; however it was decide... ...ferences between book and film are that in a book everything is in more detail and you’re informed of every little change happening constantly whereas in a movie you do get a bigger and clearer view of the situation but sometimes you might just miss out a few important bits that are told in detail in a book. The movie looks really realistic. The problem of using children in films is that children can be so naive they might not be able to handle the scenes and deliver their speech very efficiently, some parts of the film might affect them by frightening them and they might not be able to give their best in that scene, this could affect the quality of the movie. The terrible outcome that Bruno faces could have an emotional effect on the younger audience. I would recommend teenagers to watch this movie and read the novel because it is very educational and emotional.