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In Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, what do we find out about Bruno's father's job in chapter 7?

In chapter 7 of Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, there is not much said explicitly about Bruno's father's job because this is the chapter where Bruno makes his tire swing. Some inference must be made as to his father's job by what Bruno witnesses in the chapter. For example, Lieutenant Kotler yells slurs at Pavel to get his attention and then demands that he help Bruno find a tire for a swing. Then, Kotler gives further instructions to Pavel as follows:


"And afterwards, when you return to the kitchen, make sure you wash your hands before touching any of the food, you filthy--" (76).



If Lieutenant Kotler treats Pavel in such a harsh manner, it would then be logical to think that such behavior is allowed by his boss, Bruno's father. Bruno doesn't know that Pavel is a Jew, though. Nor does he make the connection that Jews are the ones held in prison behind his house in the large encampment. 


After Bruno finishes making his tire swing, he swings too high and falls face first in the dirt. As a result, he suffers a few significant scrapes and cuts. Pavel helps to clean and bandage Bruno's wounds. While being treated, Bruno learns that Pavel is a doctor, or at least was once. Through this revelation, the reader learns that the people in the prison camp are all probably like Pavel--intelligent professionals who are now treated worse than dirt by Nazi soldiers. Bruno's father is not only a Nazi soldier, but a commanding officer of the prison camp as well. Bruno cannot make the connection that his father must act like Lieutenant Kotler and is responsible for making Pavel be a waiter rather than a doctor like he is, but the reader can.


Finally, at the end of chapter 7, Bruno's mother discovers that Pavel helped clean her son's wounds and says, "If the Commandant asks, we'll say that I cleaned Bruno up" (85). Bruno's mother says this to protect Pavel from her husband's wrath. One might infer that Bruno's father does not want any Jews touching his children, even if it is for medical reasons. If the Commandant finds out that Pavel touched Bruno, he might Pavel whipped or killed. Therefore, the reader discovers that not only is Bruno's father very powerful because he is in charge of the prison camp, but he also holds strict prejudices against Jews. These prejudices are directly linked to his job as commandant. Bruno believes that his father is a good man, but he really is a Nazi soldier who strictly carries out Hitler's deeply prejudiced practices against Jews.

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