The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Article written by Emma Baldwin

B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.

The main character, Bruno, meets Shmuel, another boy around the same age, on the other side of the fence, separating the prisoners from those working at the camp. Bruno, curious about his friend, decides to climb under the fence and put on a pair of striped pajamas, or what he thinks are striped pajamas.

The author uses interesting linguistic choices to mimic Bruno’s understanding of people and places. For example, he refers to Adolf Hitler as “The Fury” rather than the “Fuhrer,” alluding to strange the unusual word would sound to a child. Another good example is the word “Auschwitz,” which Bruno pronounces as “Out-With.”

Key Facts about The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

• Title: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
• When Written and Published: 2004 and 2006
• Literary Period: Contemporary Young Adult
• Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
• Setting: Berlin and Auschwitz
• Climax: When Bruno climbs under the fence and puts on a prisoner’s uniform that he sees as “striped pajamas.”
• Antagonist: the Nazis, Bruno’s father specifically
• Point of View: Third-person omniscient

John Boyne and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Throughout his life, John Boyne loved and studied literature. He received his master’s degree in creative writing and began his career as a short story writer. After several notable short stories were published, he turned his career toward longer fiction.

Boyne’s lifelong interest in writing and literature culminated in the bestselling ‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas‘ when the novel was published in 2006. Although sold as a children’s book, it’s been read by literature lovers of all ages around the world. Its intense subject matter has meant that some readers, young and old, can struggle with the emotional content.

Since he wrote the story of ‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,’ John Boyne has published five more novels aimed at young readers and nine others written for adults. Other John Boyne books include ‘The Absolutist,’ ‘All the Broken Places,’ ‘The Boy at the Top of the Mountain,’ and ‘The Heart’s Invisible Furies.’ 

Books Related to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas‘ is far from the only contemporary novel inspired by the events of the Holocaust. Others, like Markus Zusak’s ‘The Book Thief,’ ‘They Both Die at the End‘ by Adam Silver, ‘Number the Stars’ by Lois Lowry, and ‘All the Light We Cannot See‘ by Anthony Doerr, also contend with this difficult subject matter.

Slightly older novels, like Elie Wiesel’s ‘Night’ and ‘The Diary of a Young Girl‘ by Anne Frank, are incredibly important examples that should not be ignored when considering historical fiction from this period of time. Readers might also find themselves interested in:

• Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered by Ruth Kluger
• If This Is a Man by Primo Levi
• Denial: Holocaust History on Trial by Deborah E. Lipstadt
• The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Edith Eva Eger

Also related is ‘The Boy At The Top Of The Mountain,’ a 2015 novel written by Boyne that follows another child in Europe and is centered around the events of World War II.

The Lasting Impact of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas